Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Are There Snakes in my Monkey Grass?
Question: A friend wants to line his back sidewalks with monkey grass, but his wife heard that it attracts snakes. We can't find any proof of this one way or another....have you ever heard of this?”
Thanks so much for your question. That is quite a slippery situation that you are faced with and I will do my best not to monkey around and give you a straight answer. To get to the heart of this issue, you need to understand some basic information about snakes and their habits. Knowing a little bit about their natural movements and tendencies will help you get a better feel for this issue.
Monkey grass, with its long, spider like blades, provides a great hiding space for all critters and creatures that make their living on the ground. There is no specific evidence that suggests that monkey grass attracts snakes. The snakes do not feed on monkey grass nor are they attracted to the sight or scent of it. What is appealing to them is the potential for good cover. But this is also the attraction that many smaller creatures have to monkey grass as well.
The fact that snakes frequently hide in monkey grass should not discourage you from planting monkey grass. If you follow some basic pruning guidelines, you should be able to surround your house with monkey grass without increasing the average number of reptile encounters reported every year. Simply make sure that your monkey grass is trimmed back neatly to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Another thing that should put your mind at ease is that usually only harmless garden and grass snakes make their way towards monkey grass columns. While this is no consolation for the squeamish, at least you know that they usually is not going to be any poisonous types waiting in the bushes to eat you.
Thanks so much for your question. That is quite a slippery situation that you are faced with and I will do my best not to monkey around and give you a straight answer. To get to the heart of this issue, you need to understand some basic information about snakes and their habits. Knowing a little bit about their natural movements and tendencies will help you get a better feel for this issue.
Monkey grass, with its long, spider like blades, provides a great hiding space for all critters and creatures that make their living on the ground. There is no specific evidence that suggests that monkey grass attracts snakes. The snakes do not feed on monkey grass nor are they attracted to the sight or scent of it. What is appealing to them is the potential for good cover. But this is also the attraction that many smaller creatures have to monkey grass as well.
The fact that snakes frequently hide in monkey grass should not discourage you from planting monkey grass. If you follow some basic pruning guidelines, you should be able to surround your house with monkey grass without increasing the average number of reptile encounters reported every year. Simply make sure that your monkey grass is trimmed back neatly to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
Another thing that should put your mind at ease is that usually only harmless garden and grass snakes make their way towards monkey grass columns. While this is no consolation for the squeamish, at least you know that they usually is not going to be any poisonous types waiting in the bushes to eat you.
