Just the other day I was following a pickup when it slowed and stopped on the secondary road. At the same time an oncoming car slowed and stopped as well. I suspected that a deer or fawn was crossing the road but I was pleasantly surprised.

A lone box turtle was doing his speediest turtle walk to reach his other side of the road objective. The pickup driver and his daughter (I’m assuming) got out and carried the turtle safely across the street. The driver and rider returned to the truck and all three of the vehicles continued on.

I wondered though, what if a garter snake or any other snake was crossing. Would the cars stop, swerve or run it over? We (humans) for the most part have either a fear or hatred of snakes. Probably if they weren’t either nocturnal or so wary, we’d have even less. Snakes don’t rate high on the favorite list.

I have a few photos of some of the 15 or so snakes you could find in the Times News region. These snakes range in size from a black rat snake that could reach 8 or 9 feet long to a northern ringneck snake seldom more than 15 inches.

Some, like a garter and black racer, are diurnal (active mostly in daytime) and many search for their food at night. Timber rattlesnakes, actually on a “watch list” may live 30, 40 or more years.

Some, like the hognose snake, have become very uncommon and, like milk snakes, are very helpful in pest control.

My intent today was not to make you a snake “lover,” but to at least familiarize you with those you may find and to maybe give them a chance to fill their niche in nature, as nature intended. I have photos of nine species with the names listed here. See if you can identify those snakes that may cross your paths or you cross theirs. The answers are at the bottom of the page.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: Which of these nine snakes is nicknamed the puff adder?

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Usually waiting for the thistle to ripen so they can line their nests, the American goldfinch is usually the last to begin nesting.

Note: I added a tenth photo, a close up of a black rat snake head to remind you that nonvenomous snakes have round pupils, not elliptical, like a copperhead or rattlesnake.

Match the snakes listed here to their appropriate photo: eastern hognose snake, northern ringneck snake, garter snake, smooth green snake, copperhead, timber rattlesnake, black rat snake, black racer and milk snake.

Contact Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com.

Answers: 1. Milk snake, 2. northern copperhead, 3. garter snake, 4. smooth green snake, 5. black racer, 6. Eastern hognose snake, 7. timber rattlesnake, 8. black rat snake, 9. Northern ringneck snake