It has been a great week for snakes!  Cool nights and warm days.  Yesterday we saw three water snakes at Popple nature Center--the most that I have seen in a couple years.  They were all out in the water so no one was trying to touch them.  Today,  a big day,  We were at Hartje Pond and while I was waiting for the kindergarten class to come I was looking for snakes and then I saw a big brown mottled snake--very heavy.  I looked closer and realized it was a hognose.  I have never caught one barehanded without the help of a stick or something.  I reached for it and grabbed it by the tail,  it did not rear back and try to bite me but held up his head and pretended to be a cobra--very impressive.  After this he buried his head in the grass and I chose to grab him as close to his head as I could see and then just move my fingers closer to his head--it worked.  I brought him out and the kindergartners were approaching.  they were excited about seeing the snake but not nearly as excited as I was about it being a hognose.

Gary