May 2, 2008
Spring is here and besides bringing out flowers, it brings out rattlesnakes. Yes, rattlesnakes.
I will bet dollars to donuts that you thought I was going to write something about May flowers, May baskets, or May poles when I mentioned spring.
No indeedy. I have rattlers on my mind, as weird as that may seem, because they are in abundance right now in many parts of the Midwest and Southwest.
Like it or not, they are in "them thar hills."
The reason I happen to know this little piece of trivia is because I grew up in the bluffs above the Missouri River in an area known to locals as Rattlesnake Bottoms.
Rattlesnakes are coming out of hibernation so it is no wonder that certain rattlesnake traditions abound this time of year. In fact, some folks are so thrilled by this annual rite of spring that they go looking for rattlers.
Near Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge where I grew up, there are rare Massasauga Rattlesnakes and some Timber Rattlers. Elsewhere around Missouri one can find plenty of Timber Rattlers but the Massasauga are only in the north. That is, if you sincerely want to find them.
Some folks, particularly a good number of rattlesnake lovers in Oklahoma, cannot wait until the rattlers come out of hiding.
In fact, the first week of May showcases the oldest rattlesnake event of its kind, the Okeene Oklahoma Rattlesnake Roundup. This affair is 69 years old and features live snake exhibits as well as caravan-style travel to the snake-hunting grounds, according to americanprofile.com. I have not heard of any similar event in Missouri.
Although snakehunting can provide a real adrenaline rush to those who like to live on the edge, it is not without its hazards. Snake hunters can tell long and scary stories about how many times they were bitten and nearly died.
Where I grew up in the 50s in the river bottoms across from the game refuge, we were not particularly keen on finding rattlers. In fact while cutting weeds out of soybeans, we encountered far too many of these critters.
If one went fishing on the refuge or if one hiked around on the river bluffs, a hoe would come in handy.
If anyone thinks finding rattlesnakes beneficial, it could be Louise Pound (1872-1958), Nebraska folklore author and rattlesnake aficionado.
She once wrote, "Rattlesnake rattles will cure a headache if held against the head...Wear the rattles of a rattlesnake in your hat to cure rheumatism. Let the baby chew rattlesnake rattles to help his teeth through...A snakehead bound on a bruise will affect a cure. The bite of a rattlesnake will cure tuberculosis. The warm intestines of a rattlesnake are especially curative for pneumonia."
And, if you tire of rattlesnake folklore or rattler hunting, mushroom hunting season is just around the corner.
May in Missouri brings out much more than the flowers.
