Eastern Milk Snakes are harmless, beneficial constrictors that help control rodent populations in your backyard. In spite of their considerable size (reaching almost 3 ft) and beautiful coloration they are rarely seen. When cornered, a milk snake may hiss, vibrate its tail tip (imitating a rattlesnake), and even strike at you. However, its bite is harmless. Give them some space and any snake will slither away – likely never to be seen again. The common name Milk Snake comes from an old, mistaken belief that these snakes drink milk from sleeping cows!
The ‘Meet Your Neighbours’ global biodiversity project is a worldwide photographic initiative dedicated to reconnecting people with the wildlife on their own doorsteps (wherever on the planet this doorstep happens to be) – and enriching their lives in the process. The animals and plants found in our immediate vicinity are vital to people: they represent the first, and for some, the only contact with wild nature we have.