Hahamongna Detail Week, 4

If you look closely at this photo, you'll see Boz was a younger dog when I took it. I still think it's a fun shot, and so does he.

We've encountered rattlesnakes at Hahamongna many times. They don't want to bite you. They just want an opportunity to get away. So when you come upon them, you do not sniff them or lick them. You stand back and let them pass.

It's also a good idea to keep your eyes open and stay on the path, so you don't surprise a rattlesnake in the grass.


This week, Boz is giving you a tour of Hahamongna Watershed Park to show you some of his favorite details. I'll check in and respond to comments as much as possible. It shouldn't be too hard. I hope you're having a week full of wonders.

May the Best Rattlesnake Win

photo by Michael Schwartz

For the second day in a row I'm posting a photo taken by someone else. Call me a slacker, I don't care. When the photos are this remarkable, you can call me whatever you want to.

Many thanks to Michael Schwartz for this one. You know Michael--he and his family are the famous hosts of Pie Night. They were hiking in Big Santa Anita Canyon the other day when they came across two rattlesnakes deeply involved in a twisted, passionate drama in the middle of the trail. The family was unable to pass for a solid twenty minutes. Knowing it's better to be inconvenienced by a rattlesnake than to inconvenience one (nevermind two), they passed the time taking pictures and being fascinated.

Later, Michael did some research and learned that despite appearances, the snakes were not mating. From Aquarium of the Pacific's page about the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake: "If two males compete for the same female, they may perform a combat dance. In this display the two males coil around each other and push up to a third of their bodies over the ground. Since the snakes have no limbs to maintain their balance, both snakes promptly topple over. This encounter can be repeated for over 30 minutes. Eventually, one snake, usually the smaller of the two, retreats."

Or, in Michael's words, "two males doing some kind of boy-thing - ritualistic competition for the favors of a female."

Thanks for not being a slacker under the circumstances, Michael. I don't think I would have been able to hold the camera steady.

Mind if I ask, who does your landscaping?

Boz tried to chat up a rattlesnake on our evening walk yesterday. I wanted a photo, but cooler heads prevailed and the snake refused to pose. So I thought I'd show you a photo of his yard.

The law says I can take a picture of your yard as long as I take that picture while I'm standing on public property, and as long as I don't use ladders or telephoto lenses or extraordinary measures to go peeking over your hedge or into your windows.

Until we came along, that rattlesnake was sunning himself right in the middle of the path. I'll bet he thought we invaded his privacy.