People have been spotting copperhead snakes around here. Apparently, this is the time of year for them to have their babies, so they can get more aggressive than at other times of the year. Since leaves are already falling, and copperheads are really good at camouflage, we figured we better make sure Biscuit knew what they looked like and what he should do if he saw one.
I pulled up a picture of one on my phone. The one I found was really hard to see in a pile of leaves, so it was the perfect example.
We have a resident black snake. Remember? And even though he is harmless (and hopefully controlling pests), we still told Biscuit not to get near him.
"Are copperhead snakes poisonous?" Biscuit asked.
When Jeff was in college, one of his professors told his class to "use the proper word, not its second cousin." So with that in mind, I felt the need to explain to Biscuit the difference between venomous and poisonous.
"Well, snakes are venomous not poisonous," I explained to him. "Poison is ingested like by eating or drinking. Venom in injected, like with fangs or stingers."
"Okay ... then are copperheads venomous?" he asked.
And I love that he understood the difference and corrected himself.
"Yes, they are," I told him. "That's why we want you to be very, very careful when you're in the yard, especially where leaves are piled up."
"Well Mom, here's the thing, I don't want to see a venomous snake," he said. "I want to be a grown man some day."
"That's a really smart thing," I said.
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