-=> JIM HOLSONBACK wrote to WAYNE CHIRNSIDE <=-


 JH> Well, they got that rhyme, which I can never remember right - -
 JH> "Red on Yellow- kill a fellow, Red on black, friend of Jack."
 JH> But what I can remember is that the eastern coral snake is the only one
 JH> of the look-alikes which has a __black nose__.  That is all you need
 JH> to remember, but the coral snake also has yellow on its head. Red and
 JH> black never touch on his bands - they are always separated by a narrow
 JH> yellow band.

 JH> Here in Florida, our scarlet king snake is the most unfortunate
 JH> look-alike. The scarlet snake is also sometimes confused for a coral
 JH> snake, but not nearly so close a mimic of the colors.  Both of these
 JH> have _red_ (not black) noses, and no red bands touching yellow bands.

 I had about a one half second before my foot was within 
 6 inches of the snake. I chose the safer option and expired the snake.

 JH> (Moan) - oh, that reminds me - I need to make an appointment for an
 JH> eye exam and to get some new specs.  I thoroughly dislike the aftermath
 JH> of having eyes dilated. I'd rather stay old and ugly.  [:-D.

 WC> I'm not having any problems in that regard ;-)

 JH> Started for me at about age 45.  Couldn't read the 'fine print'
 JH> anymore. Has progressively gotten worse since then.  Good luck.

I meant the old and ugly part. My eyesight has deteriorated
fairly dramatically in the last 4 years.
I now when working on a computer make sure I'm rested,
take my time, put on magnifying lenses and use a low 
voltage trouble light to illuminate the box...
and even then I triple check my work.

 WC> Oh yeah I have nothing against snakes and avoid killing them
 WC> unless in close proximity due to my allergy to atropine.

 JH> Yep, we're letting a black snake or two live around here in proximity
 JH> to our back patio - - he'll eat any mouse he comes upon, and helps keep
 JH> down the population of lizards.  That last one isn't so good, since the
 JH> lizards eat insects.  We also have a garter snake or two, and
 JH> although harmless, those are just "nasty-disposition" snakes.

Never would trouble a black snake.
Seen garters but not so as to notice their disposition problems.

 WC> Oh yeah we have also have scorpions and brown recluse spiders
 WC> the smaller species of the former are really nasty and the
 WC> latter are just plain nasty.

 JH> Hey, you left out the widow spiders, and you got the black ones, plus
 JH> maybe brown and red ones over there in Pinellas county.

I don't consider them deadly. I did nearly walk into one
in a web the same day and approximate time I saw the Florida
Panther.

 JH> Your brown recluse encounter may well have been a mis-identification.
 JH> The internet is a good thing.  Google search on "brown recluse
Florida"
 JH> will give a good source of info.  Did you identify by counting his
 JH> eyes, or what?

 I noted a dark mark but having just awakened and not properly
 focused my eyes yet took the safest course of action
 given the thing was on my arm.
 Counting of eyes was out of the question after I turned it into goo.

 JH> Brown recluse aren't even native to Florida.  They like to hide in
 
 

 JH> Tampa 'poison
 JH> control' identified some large number of brown recluse bites, way more
 JH> than the number of brown recluse spiders which have ever been verified
 JH> to be in Florida.  On that search, you'll see that there are a large
 JH> number of other causes for necrotic tissue, which seems to have been
 JH> the basis of most brown recluse diagnoses in the Tampa area.  Among
 JH> the most likely true diagnoses, is Lyme Disease, caused by tick bites.

I've had two friends hit and both became symtomatic immediately.
Both times doctors diagnosed Brown Recluse and one of my friends
needed his girlfriend to call for help as he could not walk
on his own having been bitten in his sleep.
I don't think Lymes hits that quickly.

 WC> In a rural cattle farm area with lots of trees and few clearings
 WC> I had the rather rare opportunity to see the nearly extinct Florida
 WC> Panther in it's natural habitat.
 WC> Actually I walked under a large branch it was perched on
 WC> no less than three times before I heard a thump as it hit
 WC> the ground and turned to see it regain the cover at the other side
 WC> of the clearing in two leaps.
 WC> Moved so fast I really only got a glimpse but that was OK
 WC> by me as a more intimate encounter was not on my wish list ;-)
 WC> Yes that last encounter left me a tad shaken for a few minutes.

 JH> Good for you, and lucky too.  I'm not a great outdorsman, but have been
 JH> here in FL all my life except for 2 yrs in the Army.  I've seen FL
 JH> panther and also bobcat/wildcat, but only as roadkill.  Both of
 JH> those types of cats seem to be careful to keep far away from humans.
 JH> unlike - -

 JH> Recent reports - 3 sightings of black bear here in our subdivision - -
 JH> We are on a tributary of the Wekiva River, and maybe the bear wandered
 JH> upstream this far.  Too bad for the bear - it will probably end up
 JH> reported, encountered, and euthanized.

Never seen any variety of bear in the wild and that's just fine
with me.
 
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