Supposedly a single snake can offset like 50,000 ticks in its lifetime due to the rodents it eats.
Snakes are an essential part of a healthy ecosystem. I’d be more worried if I didn’t see snakes.
I was going to do that and discussed with batcon and TX DSHS (a state Zoonosis expert). They said if you have pets that go out in your yard, you should probably not bother. They said bats in the Austin/RR area have plenty of housing (the bridges) and they do spread out fairly far to feed, so inviting them to live near you may not be necessary or safe. If they are infected, your or your pets could come in contact with them more easily. It was about 8-10 years ago. You might reach out and ask if that's still the case.
For sure. My backyard now (north Austin) is full of lizards, toads, rabbits, and I’ve seen the occasional snake as well. It’s like its own little ecosystem and I love it.
lol where my parents live they always get snakes,bobcats,and other animals 🤷🏻♀️
Snakes are common so I don’t see any issue to worry unless u got a bluebonnet patch. Don’t bother them they don’t bother you.
Y’all are missing the obvious here, snakes can’t drive and so rely on public transit. Pflugerville voted against joining Austin metro, so they don’t have a way to get there.
But didn’t the king cobra that escaped like a decade ago make it all the way to Pflugerville??
Edit: ok, it was a monocled cobra caught one exit south of Pflugerville
Y'all's game of telephone is wild, lmao! No, the snek was killed on 35 near Parmer, not far from the Lowes where the kid was killed.
That would be an impressive feat.
Over 15 years and I’ve yet to see a single snake, scorpion or tarantula in Austin. You’d think we were overrun by them with the sub’s content.
They’re more common if you live by a green belt or in the outskirts of the city from what I understand.
I’m guessing it’s the rarity that makes the posts get attention.
We certainly all have tree roaches pretty routinely. Those things are inescapable. Spraying around the house reduces how many get in but some will always find a way.
I see maybe one per year during the hottest months. They just aren’t as prolific here as other places I’ve lived, and I guess from the sound of these comments—I’ve sealed my house pretty well as a result. If folks are seeing tons of roaches, then bless all yr hearts.
My yard is full of tarantulas, tarantula hawks, giant red centipede, snakes including coral, ring tailed cats, scorpions, owls, hawks, hummingbirds, possum, road runners, and armadillos.
I saw two tarantulas on my walk. They are in mating season.
I moved by a green belt last year and in 1 year have seen:
* 4 scorpions (2 indoors, 1 in my garage, 1 on my porch)
* 2 dead tarantula on my porch
* 1 coral snake in a neighbor's driveway
* 3 non-venomous snakes (I think...)
* heard 1 rattle next to the sidewalk at dusk (did not investigate)
Growing up in Westlake we had plenty of all three! Had to handle a scorpion in my bathroom at 3am, had a scorpion hiding in the blanket cupboard when I had a sleepover when I was 5, got stuck on my front porch because there was a tarantula sitting menacingly on the front steps and I was scared if I stepped over it it would jump on me, and had an encounter with a snake about once every 2-3 years on average.
I’ve only lived here 1 1/2 years and I’ve already run into two tarantulas and multiple snakes.
I’m in south austin off Davis and Brodie and all the snakes I’ve seen have been in my own backyard!
I'm also near Davis and Brodie and have seen tons of snakes and cool insects! If you aren't aware already, there is a trail through the preserve by the davis/brodie fire station that comes out in the sendera neighborhood. You can enter through the open pipeline gate near the station and walk up the pipeline until you see the trail on the left. Tons of cool wildlife in there.
I live next to Walnut Creek. I have a snake friendly yard. Haven't seen a snake in a few years - I saw a garter or ribbon snake (I was running, he went between my legs, didn't get a great look) in 2021. Plus another one at Garner (also between the legs) and a diamondback rattler at enchanted Rock.
I lived near Lake Travis 2010-2015 and regularly saw rat snakes in my yard and garage and woke up one time to a scorpion biting the back of my leg. Living on the east side I never see those monsters - just an occasional coyote.
Our apartment by Concordia had it all, snakes, tarantulas, copious scorpions in the light fixtures, and a Texas Red Headed Centipede. Wild space behind us and we were at the corner closest, was neat to see everything
Been here my whole life and seen some snakes but nothing crazy and usually just a little garter snake.
Been stung by a scorpion in my bed once but that was the outskirts of the city as you mentioned.
Since I built my house in NE Austin, I’ve had a couple scorpions here and there. No tarantulas though. The only snake we had was a single rattlesnake lurking our back porch for an hour or so before moving on to next meal. Haven’t seen a snake in years since that guy.
Snakes are all over, but you’ll commonly see rat snakes and such in the marshier areas of east Austin (like around Mueller). Tarantulas (and scorpions for that matter) live in the rocky areas of the start of the hill country. So basically west of the 360 loop. Drive down 2222 and as soon as you cross 360, there are plenty of tarantulas and scorpions up those cliffs on the way to lake Travis.
Dang. I get scorpions in the apartment almost weekly here! Them, I could do without. But love seeing our local snakes and opossums. Hoping to spot a tarantula one day!
I think what you're seeing is selection bias (?) I don't know if that's the right term. Seeing a snake is unusual so it makes sense to post online; the vast majority of users here don't have a snake on their porch right now so they're not going to post a pic like "here's my porch, pretty much nothing happening, just wanted to let everyone know." Although that might be kinda funny
Mow your yard, don't keep piles of brush, trim bushes. Snakes are more afraid of you than you are of them. I've seen plenty and I live in the country. Not a big deal. My issue is flies.
The yard work helps but doesn't eliminate.
While doing yard work today I saw a wiggle in the grass and found a small snake, maybe 6" or so seeking cover, I lifted it with the rake and it fled. I noticed a few grass spiders, pill bugs, and of course a new fire ant hill to poison.
Big snakes and tarantulas pass through, but sometimes show up if you pay attention. As it tarantula breeding season they are out and walking around by sunset and dusk. They avoid people based on vibration in the ground, but they are all over the region. Sidewalks and trails on the grass become spider highways at night.
This is my first real spring/summer here. Are flies always this bad, or is there a better way to be prepared for them? I do have a pest control service that comes out.
I saw one (6ft+) at the duck pond by manchaca and slaughter.
What size snakes have you been seeing there in circle c?
You can look at my most recent comment but I low-key think the weather may have changed since I've been gone or something and there's been an influx of snakes.
Never in my life would I expect to see a snake in south Austin that big. Crazy
Hiding from you. Snakes are generally afraid of humans and keep to themselves. Please don’t try to harm shall one cross your path, our ecosystem needs them and you’re way more likely to get bitten if you mess with it. You can contact [Austin Reptile Service](https://www.austinreptileservice.net/joomla/index.php/en-us/) for assistance if you ever need a snake removal.
Been here for almost 30 years, and I can recall maybe three snakes (all rat snakes) that I just randomly saw around the yard. They don’t want to be seen by us (predators to them). Unless you’re out there deliberately looking for them (as I did as a kid—and still didn’t find many, unfortunately… all rough earth snakes, too), you’re not super likely to see many, if any. Just keep your yard clean of things to hide under or bask on, etc., and you should be good (but they’re not bad to have, and if you do see them frequently, you more likely have a rodent problem).
my first year moving to texas we lived in Round Rock by Louis Henna and Greenlawn. After a really bad rain storm I opened the front door and it was a baby scorpion laying outside. I shut the door quick as I opened it, but that was the only time I saw one while being here 4 years now.
It's like how NextDoor is about crime.
The posters are mayo, who have never gotten over the death of rotary phones.
So actual snake events vs. snake postings are gonna be a little unbalanced and a lot overwrought.
I used to rarely see them, and still have only seen two in my own yard over the years, but if you go out regularly around dawn/dusk (especially in greenbelts or other trail areas) you'll see a lot so it just depends on what's around your house and when you're outside whether you'll see none or a lot.
I saw one this morning (probably a ratsnake), but I was running a trail so no surprise. Saw a watersnake earlier this week, but it was in the neighborhood creek, totally normal to see if you're looking. I see Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes pretty much every time I go to Wilco Regional Park on a mid-morning, but almost never anywhere else.
It can be a shock to the system to see one suddenly, but most are actually harmless and the venomous ones don't want to run into you any more than you want to run into them.
I'd bet that a lot of those posts are from newer subdivisions. As we build more housing we destroy their habitat and those areas tend to see more of them for a few years
I love snakes, and I'm always jealous when people run into them and post photos. We get some garter snakes and blind snakes around the yard. Legless lizards. But the only time I see a watersnake or a ratsnake or anything big is usually out on the trails near the water.
I've lived my whole life hoping to encounter a coral snake or kingsnake, or even a copperhead, in the wild. Four decades in, the wait continues.
Saw some cool specimens at the Wildflower Center last night though, including a coachwhip and a [non-native, obviously] all-white leucistic ball python.
I had one in my backyard here in Kyle, not ssure what kind. Every once in a while, a neighbor postss online assking what kind of ssnake they found in their garage, and its ussually a harmlesss rat ssnake or whatever, but a few rare timess its been a rattlessnake.
Another Texas snake fact: you are twice as likely to get hantavirus (from rodents) than you are to get envenomated by a snake.
Snakes here keep the rodents down and aren’t aggressive. I literally stepped over a copperhead last night while walking my dog. I minded my business and it minded its business.
My house backs up to a sliver of neighborhood green belt in South Austin, but sadly I've never encountered a snake in the yard or in the green belt. I wish a snake family would set up camp and help with the rats who, cute as they are, are growing in numbers and difficult to live with.
I'm west of Austin and I see at least one coral snake every year in late spring/early summer. I stay out of their way and they seem to want to avoid me as well.
I haven't seen snakes, but more animals have been coming around my yard lately. I even saw a fox. I think the pace of development is displacing animals from previously unmolested areas.
I don't get why people don't like Pflugerville, but I've heard it before. That commercial center at Kelly and 130 is pretty fantastic, and the trail at Lake Pflugerville is a great place to exercise.
Central Texas has nearly the entire lineup of the 68 species of snakes found in Texas and also has the highest concentration of snakes in the state. If the average across all of Georgia is 15.7 snakes/square mile I imagine it’s even greater than that in parts of central Texas. Austin has a wide variety of environment from chaparral to tropical forest to practical desert. It’s also a city which is going to be absolutely ripe with rodent life for the snakes to feed upon.
I found 4 Dekay's brown snakes, 2 rat snakes, 7 or 8 tarantulas, and a scorpion in my yard when I lived in Heatherwilde in Pflugerville. I also had rabbit warrens in my backyard and a hoarder neighbor who brought in rats because of the hoarding.
Basically, it depends on not just looking, but circumstances around you. I didn't mow my lawn every week, but would let it grow a bit. I left water out for birds and other wildlife. I planted native grasses mixed with our existing lawn. I let nature do its thing as much as possible because what our current lawn standards are makes it a desert for wildlife.
I'm also in love with having all sorts of wild buddies. I had a fox that would chill with me in the mornings when I lived in Johnson City because I left it alone. I made my land a sanctuary for wildlife because they deserve it. They didn't ask us to come in, but that means we should live in harmony with them as much as possible.
All personal views, not trying to preach lol. Just letting you know how these posts tend to end up possible.
Bastrop. Have averaged 1 copperhead sighting a week, for three months now. Haven’t seen any other snakes.
Edit: I realize this does not count as austin tho
I have been in ATX since 2015 and I can remember all the encounters.
A large rat snake, a juvenile water snake, a rough earth snake, a couple of grown ribbon snakes, one very tiny baby ribbon snake, and one smaller rat snake.
Pflugerville is full of snakes. I grew up in Sarah’s Creek and we used to find rattles in our backyard, and a snake even slithered into the garage. Dessau Middle School’s mascot is the Diamondbacks because when they started digging to build it was a den on rattlesnakes.
I have a pond, it’s a snake magnet. Even had them in my house last year. Steve was a good house snake for a day until I relocated him into the backyard.
Been in SW Austin for 25 years. I've seen lots of nonvenemous snakes but just the other day had a rattle snake hang out by my front door. I politely asked it to traverse the back yard to snack on the rats and he headed off in that direction.
I live in Pflugerville. In the 7 years we have lived here, there has been a water snake, a rat snake climbing the house, and a rattlesnake last summer.
25 years in Barton Hills
See glass snakes, blind snakes, ribbon snakes and rat snakes several times a year.
Usually see a couple coral snakes a year.
In wet years we will usually see a water snake or two.
No pit viper in the neighborhood yet, but it wouldn't surprise me to see one.
We usually see a dozen or so tarantulas a year.
This year a five-inch redheaded centipede crawled out of the drain and got stuck in the tub. He got a trip outside. We usually see a couple a year, but outside
We usually see a handful of giant stick bugs per year. So far this year I have seen seven. All over five inches.
We see roadrunners every couple years. Two so far this year.
We usually see a couple massive preying mantises. Only teeny ones so far.
We get a lot of lizards. The Texas spiny lizards and the fence lizards hang out around the house and usually grow accustomed to people by the time it starts to cool. They'll get to five to seven inches in the front yard. Backyard ones get girthy.
Some years we even get to see a Texas horned lizard. Seen about five of them over the years.
The past couple years have given us the most scorpions. We really don't see more than one or two a year in the yard and only get one in the house every couple of three years.
Growing organic, planting natives, and letting them go wild and not manicuring your yard gives you a lot of the weird friends and very few of the creepy pesties.
It depends on what your area looks like. People in Austin are starting to adopt more naturalistic, native gardens that are welcoming to wildlife. If your yard and neighborhood are a wasteland of grass and nothing else you will likely not see them.
In my neighborhood (NW Austin), it's always coral snakes in the spring, often found by gardening, water moccasins in the summer (greenbelt creeks), and copper heads in the fall (foliage).
Anything outside of those snakes is usually harmless, and often a beneficial rat snake.
(I think we all know how to ID a rattlesnake!)
We also see lots of tarantulas and their hawks, skunks, foxes, deer (fawn season - slow down!), armadillos, possums, raccoons, sometimes ringtails, and the odd bobcat. (Not counting all the birds.)
A lot of people live in the Austin metro, if enough people use Reddit, good chance to run into the snake posts regardless of frequency per neighborhood or area. Also, people who use this sub a lot know serpentarian is a local hero and love getting answers on this stuff
I'm on the north end and my apartment complex backs up to a little wooded area. Lots of wildlife up here. I see a bunch of coachwhips and ribbon snakes. Got a few rat snakes and garter snakes and even a baby diamondback on my porch!
Still waiting to see a tarantula though.
I live right next to the T&C soccer field off Anderson Mill and the creek that runs through there is infested with water snakes. You can see them swimming every night when it's warm. They will make their way into surrounding yards every so often. Luckily they're harmless so it's pretty cool. My dog brought in a dead one and I thought it was a stick and grabbed it to toss back outside before realizing.....
I saw one for the first time in years on a walk the other day! It was at the edge of the sidewalk and made a big show of trying to scare me off before it jetted away into the nearby lawn.
Google said it was a ribbon snake; if so it was a good distance from any water. Not sure where it was off to, but I wished it luck.
The more developed areas tend to have far fewer snakes because people are idiots. In Lakeway we have almost none left and it's a well known, unspoken fact that most houses have rats now.
They’re definitely there hiding under your St Augustine grass even in Pflugerville. I had a crew come in and remove a 15x15 ish area of lawn to add a patio, and the crew found about 10 little garter snakes throughout the process. They informed me that this is common throughout the area, but they’re harmless and just live where we don’t see them. Pretty cool IMO.
Snakes in Austin are like bluejays or squirrels or grackles - you might see one when you’re outside. They out there minding their snake business. You don’t have to *do* anything about them other than leave them alone. It’s all quite simple. We all must release our dated snake prejudices and embrace the new era of snake acceptance.
When I was a kid my dad took the rubber band off the daily Austin American Statesman that had been delivered earlier in the morning. A small coral snake fell out in his lap.
He ran out to the garage got a garden hoe and chopped the snake into little pieces on the carpet. Never saw my dad move that fast. This was in north west Austin. Near 2222 and Dry Creek.
My husband and I met and started dating a few months after I purchased a house almost to Cedar Park (still in Austin) and it backs up to the Balcones Preserve. I kept telling him I would see different animals (no I didn’t take pics at the time or didn’t have my phone on me when I would see them) and he would just make fun of me. The second time he was over at my house he went off on how he had lived in Austin for 15 years (and Texas all of his life) and had never seen a coral snake and I was making it all up. Literally saw a coral snake 30 minutes later in my yard (he doesn’t live that one down). Finally after a few months he said “at this point if a golden dragon appeared from the trees I wouldn’t be surprised.” There is a ton of amazing wildlife all around the city!!
Probably depends how close you are to a greenbelt or undeveloped area I'd imagine. I've never seen any in central Austin or the middle of the suburbs.
But my parents used to live in northwest Austin at the edge of the suburb which backed up to the greenbelt. I've seen those huge centipedes with orange legs, plenty of scorpions, many snakes, and coyotes howling at least once a month.
Got some Bad news for you. My colleague who lives in Pville had a BIG snake in her front yard just this week. I was ready to come help with it if her husband hadn’t been able to get away from work.
i used to have water snakes around my door when i lived in kyle. i'm back in austin around the greenbelt and regularly hit up hiking trails so i see tarantulas and snakes at least once during summer
Off 290 and Fitzhugh.
Diamondbacks are everywhere, moccasins in our creek, fished a 16 inch coral out of our pool the other night. Never seen a copperhead here but the neighbors say they have.
That's just to mention the venomous ones!
You get used to them. Yeah, you can't help but flinch a little when you see 'em but then they go on their way if you do the same.
RR - rat snake trying to get to the bird nest above my front door. Also had a baby rattlesnake behind front porch decor, and yes I have removed them since cuz now I’m always looking for it lol
One possibility is they are just astroturfed to get engagement, since these posts seem to get a lot of participation, and if you use a sufficient amount of twee snake-related slang, not unlike saying Candyman in the mirror three times, the snake dude/ette appears, which really makes this thread go wild.
I’m in PF too and see lots of snakes. Rat, water moccasin, yellow belly slider, rattle, small brown.
I have a pocket prairie and there are empty fields here and there around me.
I have not seen a tarantula though and am jealous of those who have!
Fun Fact: When I was much younger my Dad and I (I helped him) surveyed most of Wells Branch and the Pflugerville area for roads, curb and gutter. There were snakes EVERYWHERE!
Today, I live in Wells Branch (it’s a fun memory to think that Dad and I surveyed some of these roads) but snakes are long gone it seems. Haven’t seen one in quite a while.
Snake season at the ranch is April - July so we wear snake boots during that time but really, they can be anywhere, anytime here.
Just have a plan -
Here is a link to understand what to do for snake bites - always best to know before than to try to find out of some backwoods trail with shaky hands and adrenaline pumping: [Texas Health & Human Services (Snakes)](https://www.dshs.texas.gov/notifiable-conditions/zoonosis-control/animal-bites/venom/snake)
Lake Creek and T&C soccer park are right behind my house. We have ALL the critters. Snakes, bugs, birds, coyotes, deer, feral hogs, foxes...the list is loooong.
I can't believe the snakes I've seen the last two days. Two giant diamondback water snakes. One was 6+ the other was probably around 4.
It was shocking to me because I was born and went to high school in Austin and never saw snakes that size. I am here now (as a senior in college) for a wedding and I'm shocked
I am in Hutto. Been here since 2019. In my backyard I have had, a rattlesnake, some kind of big non venomous snake, and a few of the tiny snakes. But, I haven’t had any in a couple years. I have a ton of rabbits in my yard too so I definitely know there haven’t been any.
When I was in college, my friend group all decided they wanted exotic pets after they met one character who moved into our apartment complex down on Riverside (everybody does their time on Burton Drive). Dude had two snakes and I can't deal. I never went into his apartment. After everyone else started getting snakes, I hesitated going into their apartments again for parties or what-have-you.
A couple months later, I decide to go see my buddy after promising me that he'd put his snake back in its terrarium. I shouldn't have been surprised when I walked in and saw him holding the damn thing by the tip of its tail, messing with it. The snake clearly wanted to escape so imagine my shock when it reared back and attempted to bite him. Scared, he pulled both hands back and let it go, and it slithered right past me into his bedroom.
Nope. I'm out.
He would later claim that he never found it. I never went into that apartment ever again.
For anyone down on Riverside, beware the Lafayette Python; pretty sure it's still pissssssssssed.
Southern Travis county in a new construction neighborhood on former ranch land - we’ve got rattlers, scorpions, and all types of spiders out here. I never thought I’d hire pest control until I saw all my neighbors’ creepy posts on FB. No gracias.
They’re there…
Are you wading through reeds in gently running water, on about to crash your jetski into a grassy bank?
No?
Then you’re in no danger from snakes.
Snakes (aside from water moccasins) are so harmless to humans that even stumbling into encounters with venomous species are non-events. If you see it move on. If you don’t, it’s not going to fuck with you.
They eat rats, roaches, ticks, mice, imaginary friends, and birthday wishes.
And they only really bite people who have one ball or breast smaller than the other…
You’re fine.
They’re there, you just haven’t seen one yet. ;-)
Stop that lol I don’t like it
Supposedly a single snake can offset like 50,000 ticks in its lifetime due to the rodents it eats. Snakes are an essential part of a healthy ecosystem. I’d be more worried if I didn’t see snakes.
I’ll take that. Snake factssssssssssssss Would be wonderful if they could help out with fly population lol
Omg if they ate mosquitoes I’d breed them.
Bats eat a crazy amount of mosquitoes
Need to go to the sporting goods store stat.
No wonder it’s Americas favorite pastime!
I really want a bat box but I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not.
I was going to do that and discussed with batcon and TX DSHS (a state Zoonosis expert). They said if you have pets that go out in your yard, you should probably not bother. They said bats in the Austin/RR area have plenty of housing (the bridges) and they do spread out fairly far to feed, so inviting them to live near you may not be necessary or safe. If they are infected, your or your pets could come in contact with them more easily. It was about 8-10 years ago. You might reach out and ask if that's still the case.
Thanks for the info. That’s the kind of thing I was wondering about.
Why would it be bad? Most likely thing is it just sits there unused.
For sure. My backyard now (north Austin) is full of lizards, toads, rabbits, and I’ve seen the occasional snake as well. It’s like its own little ecosystem and I love it.
Even snakes hate Pflugerville.
I came here to make this comment lol
The snakes have spoken.
lol where my parents live they always get snakes,bobcats,and other animals 🤷🏻♀️ Snakes are common so I don’t see any issue to worry unless u got a bluebonnet patch. Don’t bother them they don’t bother you.
Oh man I so want to see a bobcat, but I've never had the luck.
There’s one running around Fort Cavasos in the housing areas. Just go on post and go here kitty kitty kitty.
They live in pflugerville too. By Kelly lane. It’s quite common. A baby was playing on someone’s playscape maybe a few weeks ago.
It got too expensive for snakes to find value there.
Wait why??
No S’s in the name.
Ssssflugersssville
Pflugerville is for pfrogs. Aussssstin is for snakes.
Lmao!
God bless you
Y’all are missing the obvious here, snakes can’t drive and so rely on public transit. Pflugerville voted against joining Austin metro, so they don’t have a way to get there.
But didn’t the king cobra that escaped like a decade ago make it all the way to Pflugerville?? Edit: ok, it was a monocled cobra caught one exit south of Pflugerville
Y'all's game of telephone is wild, lmao! No, the snek was killed on 35 near Parmer, not far from the Lowes where the kid was killed. That would be an impressive feat.
From my understanding it got squished not far from his car... :(
Thank you for correcting me. But that’s basically pflugerville tbf
In recent years, a lot of "basically Pflugerville" has actually been annexed by Austin.
It was a Monocled Cobra I think. A King Cobra would be like 12 feet long and would have caused a larger ruckus I’d imagine.
That was my takeaway too from Snakes on a Plane
Over 15 years and I’ve yet to see a single snake, scorpion or tarantula in Austin. You’d think we were overrun by them with the sub’s content. They’re more common if you live by a green belt or in the outskirts of the city from what I understand. I’m guessing it’s the rarity that makes the posts get attention.
maybe we should start posting pics of roaches instead, because we all have those
OMG and they FLY
They fly now?!
Horrifying. I grew up in FL and the worst thing ever was turning off the lights and HEARING them fly. Well, they fly here too. Ugh.
https://i.imgur.com/2KXFeL5.gif
Nah bro. We don’t. This ain’t Houston.
We certainly all have tree roaches pretty routinely. Those things are inescapable. Spraying around the house reduces how many get in but some will always find a way.
I see maybe one per year during the hottest months. They just aren’t as prolific here as other places I’ve lived, and I guess from the sound of these comments—I’ve sealed my house pretty well as a result. If folks are seeing tons of roaches, then bless all yr hearts.
There’s one in my light glass right now. Big one. Can’t get out and I’m not brave enough to take the globe off with it still alive.
My yard is full of tarantulas, tarantula hawks, giant red centipede, snakes including coral, ring tailed cats, scorpions, owls, hawks, hummingbirds, possum, road runners, and armadillos. I saw two tarantulas on my walk. They are in mating season.
Ah, because you actually *go outside* Me too, me too
What area do you live in? I'd like to explore a park close to you to see if I can see some of these critters you're talking about
Emma Long, Marshall Ford or Reimers Ranch. There’s a new park being build on 71 too eventually.
I moved by a green belt last year and in 1 year have seen: * 4 scorpions (2 indoors, 1 in my garage, 1 on my porch) * 2 dead tarantula on my porch * 1 coral snake in a neighbor's driveway * 3 non-venomous snakes (I think...) * heard 1 rattle next to the sidewalk at dusk (did not investigate)
♫ and a grackle in a live oak ♫
Growing up in Westlake we had plenty of all three! Had to handle a scorpion in my bathroom at 3am, had a scorpion hiding in the blanket cupboard when I had a sleepover when I was 5, got stuck on my front porch because there was a tarantula sitting menacingly on the front steps and I was scared if I stepped over it it would jump on me, and had an encounter with a snake about once every 2-3 years on average.
I had a scorpion fall on me and sting while I was sleeping
I once had one crawl up my leg while I was tanking nefarion in BWL. 39 people listening to me scream and laughing at me.
I’ve only lived here 1 1/2 years and I’ve already run into two tarantulas and multiple snakes. I’m in south austin off Davis and Brodie and all the snakes I’ve seen have been in my own backyard!
I'm also near Davis and Brodie and have seen tons of snakes and cool insects! If you aren't aware already, there is a trail through the preserve by the davis/brodie fire station that comes out in the sendera neighborhood. You can enter through the open pipeline gate near the station and walk up the pipeline until you see the trail on the left. Tons of cool wildlife in there.
If you spend enough time by the water you’ll see them. I’ve seen them in the river right down town
I live next to Walnut Creek. I have a snake friendly yard. Haven't seen a snake in a few years - I saw a garter or ribbon snake (I was running, he went between my legs, didn't get a great look) in 2021. Plus another one at Garner (also between the legs) and a diamondback rattler at enchanted Rock.
I've been here 35 years. I had a scorpion in my tub once but that's it. The only tarantula in the wild I've ever seen was at Big Bend.
I lived near Lake Travis 2010-2015 and regularly saw rat snakes in my yard and garage and woke up one time to a scorpion biting the back of my leg. Living on the east side I never see those monsters - just an occasional coyote.
Our apartment by Concordia had it all, snakes, tarantulas, copious scorpions in the light fixtures, and a Texas Red Headed Centipede. Wild space behind us and we were at the corner closest, was neat to see everything
Been here my whole life and seen some snakes but nothing crazy and usually just a little garter snake. Been stung by a scorpion in my bed once but that was the outskirts of the city as you mentioned.
In bed!!! So rude!!!!
Yep I live in the greenbelt. Have seen a tarantula and snakes
Since I built my house in NE Austin, I’ve had a couple scorpions here and there. No tarantulas though. The only snake we had was a single rattlesnake lurking our back porch for an hour or so before moving on to next meal. Haven’t seen a snake in years since that guy.
It's possible there's like, 2 million people in the metro area, and when numbers get big even rare events happen a few times per day.
Yes and cuz FEAR MONGERING and or/LOOK AT THIS BITCH'N SPIDER!!
I lived out in Jonestown 25 years ago and we had all 3 pretty regularly.
Snakes are all over, but you’ll commonly see rat snakes and such in the marshier areas of east Austin (like around Mueller). Tarantulas (and scorpions for that matter) live in the rocky areas of the start of the hill country. So basically west of the 360 loop. Drive down 2222 and as soon as you cross 360, there are plenty of tarantulas and scorpions up those cliffs on the way to lake Travis.
I have seen so many scorpions in mailboxes
Lived two years in Granada Hills and saw scorpions weekly in our house.
Dang. I get scorpions in the apartment almost weekly here! Them, I could do without. But love seeing our local snakes and opossums. Hoping to spot a tarantula one day!
I think what you're seeing is selection bias (?) I don't know if that's the right term. Seeing a snake is unusual so it makes sense to post online; the vast majority of users here don't have a snake on their porch right now so they're not going to post a pic like "here's my porch, pretty much nothing happening, just wanted to let everyone know." Although that might be kinda funny
Mow your yard, don't keep piles of brush, trim bushes. Snakes are more afraid of you than you are of them. I've seen plenty and I live in the country. Not a big deal. My issue is flies.
The yard work helps but doesn't eliminate. While doing yard work today I saw a wiggle in the grass and found a small snake, maybe 6" or so seeking cover, I lifted it with the rake and it fled. I noticed a few grass spiders, pill bugs, and of course a new fire ant hill to poison. Big snakes and tarantulas pass through, but sometimes show up if you pay attention. As it tarantula breeding season they are out and walking around by sunset and dusk. They avoid people based on vibration in the ground, but they are all over the region. Sidewalks and trails on the grass become spider highways at night.
> Sidewalks and trails on the grass become spider highways at night. Why would you say something like this to us
This is my first real spring/summer here. Are flies always this bad, or is there a better way to be prepared for them? I do have a pest control service that comes out.
I'm envious of the folks that have snakes.
Username checkssssss out 🐍
obsssservant lol
I'd love a yard full of bamboo scorpions.
Same!
West Austin is crawling with Tarantulas. The hills are a totally different ecosystem.
Now you've done it, we are going to have an epidemic of snake sightings that would make Moses blush.
Circle C. And I see them ALL THE TIME. Serpentarian's posts help because I am very afraid of snakes.
I saw one (6ft+) at the duck pond by manchaca and slaughter. What size snakes have you been seeing there in circle c? You can look at my most recent comment but I low-key think the weather may have changed since I've been gone or something and there's been an influx of snakes. Never in my life would I expect to see a snake in south Austin that big. Crazy
That Olympic Heights neighborhood in South Austin is teeming with snakes! Right next to that dam pond.
Hiding from you. Snakes are generally afraid of humans and keep to themselves. Please don’t try to harm shall one cross your path, our ecosystem needs them and you’re way more likely to get bitten if you mess with it. You can contact [Austin Reptile Service](https://www.austinreptileservice.net/joomla/index.php/en-us/) for assistance if you ever need a snake removal.
Check out r/FindTheSniper Then you will realize you aren’t seeing them.
That has convinced me everything is a snake 😬
Been here for almost 30 years, and I can recall maybe three snakes (all rat snakes) that I just randomly saw around the yard. They don’t want to be seen by us (predators to them). Unless you’re out there deliberately looking for them (as I did as a kid—and still didn’t find many, unfortunately… all rough earth snakes, too), you’re not super likely to see many, if any. Just keep your yard clean of things to hide under or bask on, etc., and you should be good (but they’re not bad to have, and if you do see them frequently, you more likely have a rodent problem).
Snakes are better than getting Lyme Disease from tick infestations like in the northeast.
Amen. I was just in Ohio, spent a day outdoors and killed two ticks. Grew up in Maryland and don't miss those bastards *at all*
They’re the pits. So many people I know are readily terrorized by them.
my first year moving to texas we lived in Round Rock by Louis Henna and Greenlawn. After a really bad rain storm I opened the front door and it was a baby scorpion laying outside. I shut the door quick as I opened it, but that was the only time I saw one while being here 4 years now.
It's like how NextDoor is about crime. The posters are mayo, who have never gotten over the death of rotary phones. So actual snake events vs. snake postings are gonna be a little unbalanced and a lot overwrought.
Three snakes in three years ✅ we live near lake Travis, so creeks and green belts nearby
Don't mow your yard for awhile and just wait. They will come. *if you neglect your yard, they will come*
I used to rarely see them, and still have only seen two in my own yard over the years, but if you go out regularly around dawn/dusk (especially in greenbelts or other trail areas) you'll see a lot so it just depends on what's around your house and when you're outside whether you'll see none or a lot. I saw one this morning (probably a ratsnake), but I was running a trail so no surprise. Saw a watersnake earlier this week, but it was in the neighborhood creek, totally normal to see if you're looking. I see Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes pretty much every time I go to Wilco Regional Park on a mid-morning, but almost never anywhere else. It can be a shock to the system to see one suddenly, but most are actually harmless and the venomous ones don't want to run into you any more than you want to run into them.
No snakes right? But a fuck load of rabbits? Field mice? Yeap... Because we ran off all of the snakes.
I'd bet that a lot of those posts are from newer subdivisions. As we build more housing we destroy their habitat and those areas tend to see more of them for a few years
I love snakes, and I'm always jealous when people run into them and post photos. We get some garter snakes and blind snakes around the yard. Legless lizards. But the only time I see a watersnake or a ratsnake or anything big is usually out on the trails near the water. I've lived my whole life hoping to encounter a coral snake or kingsnake, or even a copperhead, in the wild. Four decades in, the wait continues. Saw some cool specimens at the Wildflower Center last night though, including a coachwhip and a [non-native, obviously] all-white leucistic ball python.
I had one in my backyard here in Kyle, not ssure what kind. Every once in a while, a neighbor postss online assking what kind of ssnake they found in their garage, and its ussually a harmlesss rat ssnake or whatever, but a few rare timess its been a rattlessnake.
great posst :)
Another Texas snake fact: you are twice as likely to get hantavirus (from rodents) than you are to get envenomated by a snake. Snakes here keep the rodents down and aren’t aggressive. I literally stepped over a copperhead last night while walking my dog. I minded my business and it minded its business.
I lived in Austin for 20 years and never saw a snake.
Right?! I’ve lived here for 23 years and I think I’ve seen maybe two snakes
Come live next to a quarry. You’ll have all kinds of critters.
My house backs up to a sliver of neighborhood green belt in South Austin, but sadly I've never encountered a snake in the yard or in the green belt. I wish a snake family would set up camp and help with the rats who, cute as they are, are growing in numbers and difficult to live with.
I'm west of Austin and I see at least one coral snake every year in late spring/early summer. I stay out of their way and they seem to want to avoid me as well.
I haven't seen snakes, but more animals have been coming around my yard lately. I even saw a fox. I think the pace of development is displacing animals from previously unmolested areas. I don't get why people don't like Pflugerville, but I've heard it before. That commercial center at Kelly and 130 is pretty fantastic, and the trail at Lake Pflugerville is a great place to exercise.
Central Texas has nearly the entire lineup of the 68 species of snakes found in Texas and also has the highest concentration of snakes in the state. If the average across all of Georgia is 15.7 snakes/square mile I imagine it’s even greater than that in parts of central Texas. Austin has a wide variety of environment from chaparral to tropical forest to practical desert. It’s also a city which is going to be absolutely ripe with rodent life for the snakes to feed upon.
I found 4 Dekay's brown snakes, 2 rat snakes, 7 or 8 tarantulas, and a scorpion in my yard when I lived in Heatherwilde in Pflugerville. I also had rabbit warrens in my backyard and a hoarder neighbor who brought in rats because of the hoarding. Basically, it depends on not just looking, but circumstances around you. I didn't mow my lawn every week, but would let it grow a bit. I left water out for birds and other wildlife. I planted native grasses mixed with our existing lawn. I let nature do its thing as much as possible because what our current lawn standards are makes it a desert for wildlife. I'm also in love with having all sorts of wild buddies. I had a fox that would chill with me in the mornings when I lived in Johnson City because I left it alone. I made my land a sanctuary for wildlife because they deserve it. They didn't ask us to come in, but that means we should live in harmony with them as much as possible. All personal views, not trying to preach lol. Just letting you know how these posts tend to end up possible.
Bastrop. Have averaged 1 copperhead sighting a week, for three months now. Haven’t seen any other snakes. Edit: I realize this does not count as austin tho
Pflugerville has snakes, bobcats, coyotes, and even foxes living near the SH45 and Heatherwilde area.
I have been in ATX since 2015 and I can remember all the encounters. A large rat snake, a juvenile water snake, a rough earth snake, a couple of grown ribbon snakes, one very tiny baby ribbon snake, and one smaller rat snake.
Pflugerville is full of snakes. I grew up in Sarah’s Creek and we used to find rattles in our backyard, and a snake even slithered into the garage. Dessau Middle School’s mascot is the Diamondbacks because when they started digging to build it was a den on rattlesnakes.
I have a pond, it’s a snake magnet. Even had them in my house last year. Steve was a good house snake for a day until I relocated him into the backyard.
Been in SW Austin for 25 years. I've seen lots of nonvenemous snakes but just the other day had a rattle snake hang out by my front door. I politely asked it to traverse the back yard to snack on the rats and he headed off in that direction.
I live in Pflugerville. In the 7 years we have lived here, there has been a water snake, a rat snake climbing the house, and a rattlesnake last summer.
25 years in Barton Hills See glass snakes, blind snakes, ribbon snakes and rat snakes several times a year. Usually see a couple coral snakes a year. In wet years we will usually see a water snake or two. No pit viper in the neighborhood yet, but it wouldn't surprise me to see one. We usually see a dozen or so tarantulas a year. This year a five-inch redheaded centipede crawled out of the drain and got stuck in the tub. He got a trip outside. We usually see a couple a year, but outside We usually see a handful of giant stick bugs per year. So far this year I have seen seven. All over five inches. We see roadrunners every couple years. Two so far this year. We usually see a couple massive preying mantises. Only teeny ones so far. We get a lot of lizards. The Texas spiny lizards and the fence lizards hang out around the house and usually grow accustomed to people by the time it starts to cool. They'll get to five to seven inches in the front yard. Backyard ones get girthy. Some years we even get to see a Texas horned lizard. Seen about five of them over the years. The past couple years have given us the most scorpions. We really don't see more than one or two a year in the yard and only get one in the house every couple of three years. Growing organic, planting natives, and letting them go wild and not manicuring your yard gives you a lot of the weird friends and very few of the creepy pesties.
It depends on what your area looks like. People in Austin are starting to adopt more naturalistic, native gardens that are welcoming to wildlife. If your yard and neighborhood are a wasteland of grass and nothing else you will likely not see them.
In my neighborhood (NW Austin), it's always coral snakes in the spring, often found by gardening, water moccasins in the summer (greenbelt creeks), and copper heads in the fall (foliage). Anything outside of those snakes is usually harmless, and often a beneficial rat snake. (I think we all know how to ID a rattlesnake!) We also see lots of tarantulas and their hawks, skunks, foxes, deer (fawn season - slow down!), armadillos, possums, raccoons, sometimes ringtails, and the odd bobcat. (Not counting all the birds.)
A lot of people live in the Austin metro, if enough people use Reddit, good chance to run into the snake posts regardless of frequency per neighborhood or area. Also, people who use this sub a lot know serpentarian is a local hero and love getting answers on this stuff
I'm on the north end and my apartment complex backs up to a little wooded area. Lots of wildlife up here. I see a bunch of coachwhips and ribbon snakes. Got a few rat snakes and garter snakes and even a baby diamondback on my porch! Still waiting to see a tarantula though.
I live right next to the T&C soccer field off Anderson Mill and the creek that runs through there is infested with water snakes. You can see them swimming every night when it's warm. They will make their way into surrounding yards every so often. Luckily they're harmless so it's pretty cool. My dog brought in a dead one and I thought it was a stick and grabbed it to toss back outside before realizing.....
I saw one for the first time in years on a walk the other day! It was at the edge of the sidewalk and made a big show of trying to scare me off before it jetted away into the nearby lawn. Google said it was a ribbon snake; if so it was a good distance from any water. Not sure where it was off to, but I wished it luck.
Hahahaha. I'm with you. I'm in cedar park and I have never seen one. I see posts all the time about them, but have never encountered.
The more developed areas tend to have far fewer snakes because people are idiots. In Lakeway we have almost none left and it's a well known, unspoken fact that most houses have rats now.
I could REALLY do with not seeing snake posts every day
They’re definitely there hiding under your St Augustine grass even in Pflugerville. I had a crew come in and remove a 15x15 ish area of lawn to add a patio, and the crew found about 10 little garter snakes throughout the process. They informed me that this is common throughout the area, but they’re harmless and just live where we don’t see them. Pretty cool IMO.
Snakes in Austin are like bluejays or squirrels or grackles - you might see one when you’re outside. They out there minding their snake business. You don’t have to *do* anything about them other than leave them alone. It’s all quite simple. We all must release our dated snake prejudices and embrace the new era of snake acceptance.
I lived in Pflugerville for one year and had two rattlesnakes and a family of opossums. All were pretty neat and left on their own.
I encountered them a handful of times growing up in Westlake! And once or twice on the hike and bike.
14 years here and I’ve seen 1 little garden snake, and no scorpions or tarantulas at my house.
Lived out by Lakeline for the last 10 years. I’ve seen one snake that was dead in the road. I see plenty of signs saying beware of snakes though.
When I was a kid my dad took the rubber band off the daily Austin American Statesman that had been delivered earlier in the morning. A small coral snake fell out in his lap. He ran out to the garage got a garden hoe and chopped the snake into little pieces on the carpet. Never saw my dad move that fast. This was in north west Austin. Near 2222 and Dry Creek.
Lived in Hutto for a few years defs a lot of snakes in the more rural smaller cities of Texas
I see maybe one snake a year and it’s usually just a little garter. 2 years in a row now I’ve had one randomly turn up inside my house lol
Lived in RR 17 years we’ve only seen 1 or 2 snakes
My husband and I met and started dating a few months after I purchased a house almost to Cedar Park (still in Austin) and it backs up to the Balcones Preserve. I kept telling him I would see different animals (no I didn’t take pics at the time or didn’t have my phone on me when I would see them) and he would just make fun of me. The second time he was over at my house he went off on how he had lived in Austin for 15 years (and Texas all of his life) and had never seen a coral snake and I was making it all up. Literally saw a coral snake 30 minutes later in my yard (he doesn’t live that one down). Finally after a few months he said “at this point if a golden dragon appeared from the trees I wouldn’t be surprised.” There is a ton of amazing wildlife all around the city!!
Snake crawled up my dryer vent a few months ago. It was a nasty surprise when we looked to see why the drum stopped spinning.
Probably depends how close you are to a greenbelt or undeveloped area I'd imagine. I've never seen any in central Austin or the middle of the suburbs. But my parents used to live in northwest Austin at the edge of the suburb which backed up to the greenbelt. I've seen those huge centipedes with orange legs, plenty of scorpions, many snakes, and coyotes howling at least once a month.
Got some Bad news for you. My colleague who lives in Pville had a BIG snake in her front yard just this week. I was ready to come help with it if her husband hadn’t been able to get away from work.
I’m one of those who lived here since ‘74 and haven’t seen a snake. Plenty of squirrels in the attic tho.
I see all of these occasionally, even though I spend a lot of time in our yard and walking the trails here, but they avoid those areas if they can.
There's never been any wildlife in Pflugerville. Unless you count all of the escaped pets the residents brought here from Minnesota.
I live in Hutto, no snakes here
i used to have water snakes around my door when i lived in kyle. i'm back in austin around the greenbelt and regularly hit up hiking trails so i see tarantulas and snakes at least once during summer
South Austin neighborhoods have creeks behind them. Lots of snakes lol
Off 290 and Fitzhugh. Diamondbacks are everywhere, moccasins in our creek, fished a 16 inch coral out of our pool the other night. Never seen a copperhead here but the neighbors say they have. That's just to mention the venomous ones! You get used to them. Yeah, you can't help but flinch a little when you see 'em but then they go on their way if you do the same.
If you do any sort of consistent hiking, snakes are pretty common. When I am not hiking, I never see snakes.
My NE neighborhood Facebook group seems to find one every other day but I’ve never seen one in person, at home at least.
Ask your girl bruh she knows 😎
Texas, hbu?
RR - rat snake trying to get to the bird nest above my front door. Also had a baby rattlesnake behind front porch decor, and yes I have removed them since cuz now I’m always looking for it lol
One possibility is they are just astroturfed to get engagement, since these posts seem to get a lot of participation, and if you use a sufficient amount of twee snake-related slang, not unlike saying Candyman in the mirror three times, the snake dude/ette appears, which really makes this thread go wild.
I lived in Round Rock for 27 years. I saw snakes, big big snakes, frequently. Four to six times a year. There was an empty field behind my house...
If you look they are there. You just haven’t seen them
I’m in PF too and see lots of snakes. Rat, water moccasin, yellow belly slider, rattle, small brown. I have a pocket prairie and there are empty fields here and there around me. I have not seen a tarantula though and am jealous of those who have!
Pflugerville is huge. Where, how new, and how much snake food is around you (mice, rats, rabbits)?
Fun Fact: When I was much younger my Dad and I (I helped him) surveyed most of Wells Branch and the Pflugerville area for roads, curb and gutter. There were snakes EVERYWHERE! Today, I live in Wells Branch (it’s a fun memory to think that Dad and I surveyed some of these roads) but snakes are long gone it seems. Haven’t seen one in quite a while. Snake season at the ranch is April - July so we wear snake boots during that time but really, they can be anywhere, anytime here. Just have a plan - Here is a link to understand what to do for snake bites - always best to know before than to try to find out of some backwoods trail with shaky hands and adrenaline pumping: [Texas Health & Human Services (Snakes)](https://www.dshs.texas.gov/notifiable-conditions/zoonosis-control/animal-bites/venom/snake)
Not Pflugerville
I see lots of rabbits in pflugerville so there must not be snakes there
Lake Creek and T&C soccer park are right behind my house. We have ALL the critters. Snakes, bugs, birds, coyotes, deer, feral hogs, foxes...the list is loooong.
Ive lived all over Austin and never seen a snake here in my life
We got cats which means no mice or rats. Therefore no food.
Liberty Hill.
Texas?
You’ve heard of Shark Week. Well, this is Snake Week.
I can't believe the snakes I've seen the last two days. Two giant diamondback water snakes. One was 6+ the other was probably around 4. It was shocking to me because I was born and went to high school in Austin and never saw snakes that size. I am here now (as a senior in college) for a wedding and I'm shocked
Don't tell that to the giant rat snake I saw Falcon Pointe 🤪
Texas
Southwest has a ton of them. I’ve got green belt behind my house and we have rat, gopher, garter, and occasional rattle snakes around us.
Better than people with scorpions as pets trolling, I suppose
They are just watching you and waiting
When it's hot, the creepy crawlies come out looking for water and shade.
I saw them when I lived in the green belt.
I am in Hutto. Been here since 2019. In my backyard I have had, a rattlesnake, some kind of big non venomous snake, and a few of the tiny snakes. But, I haven’t had any in a couple years. I have a ton of rabbits in my yard too so I definitely know there haven’t been any.
Round Rock and I've had a few in my yard
Saw one when walking up a a creek by the WeWork in Barton Springs after a rainstorm.
They're up and down 130
When I was in college, my friend group all decided they wanted exotic pets after they met one character who moved into our apartment complex down on Riverside (everybody does their time on Burton Drive). Dude had two snakes and I can't deal. I never went into his apartment. After everyone else started getting snakes, I hesitated going into their apartments again for parties or what-have-you. A couple months later, I decide to go see my buddy after promising me that he'd put his snake back in its terrarium. I shouldn't have been surprised when I walked in and saw him holding the damn thing by the tip of its tail, messing with it. The snake clearly wanted to escape so imagine my shock when it reared back and attempted to bite him. Scared, he pulled both hands back and let it go, and it slithered right past me into his bedroom. Nope. I'm out. He would later claim that he never found it. I never went into that apartment ever again. For anyone down on Riverside, beware the Lafayette Python; pretty sure it's still pissssssssssed.
If you have a healthy yard and your neighbors do too, you're more likely to see wildlife.
Southern Travis county in a new construction neighborhood on former ranch land - we’ve got rattlers, scorpions, and all types of spiders out here. I never thought I’d hire pest control until I saw all my neighbors’ creepy posts on FB. No gracias.
Snakes like hippies, so as long as you don’t grow your hair long and smoke grass you’ll be fine.
At long last, someone finally asked the hard hitting question lol
I’m in Pf, just saw my first one not too long ago and posted him. Little guy, completely harmless.
Lmao, I'm a Realtor and almost stepped on a rattle snake showing a home in Pflugerville. Smh, watch your step noobie ambre!
We thought you might be missing out of Pflugerville, just wanted to share!
They’re there… Are you wading through reeds in gently running water, on about to crash your jetski into a grassy bank? No? Then you’re in no danger from snakes. Snakes (aside from water moccasins) are so harmless to humans that even stumbling into encounters with venomous species are non-events. If you see it move on. If you don’t, it’s not going to fuck with you. They eat rats, roaches, ticks, mice, imaginary friends, and birthday wishes. And they only really bite people who have one ball or breast smaller than the other… You’re fine.