I'm in the same boat as you. This sans watering thing can get complicated. There's just so much information out there. My mother has the really common sans you see in stores all the time. It is in a glazed, six inch pot about a foot away from a south window. She says she waters hers about every 7 or 14 days. She doesn't keep track strictly. Just when it's dry. It's been growing like crazy over the past two years. I have some sans too. Four types. They have been doing pretty well for me all spring. I have decided to let the soil dry all the way through then wait a few more days, and then water. Right now they are in 3 - 4 inch pots. I have been watering probably every 9 or 10 days. That's only because they're growing right now though. When they go dormant, or stop growing for a time, I will wait until the leaves become slightly wilty or bendy.

July 2009, I was walking out front to get the paper, and I heard this pitiful cry. It was a little frog crying. Well, turns out that a snake had the frog's leg. I felt so sorry for the little frog. He was saying "Help me please!" I got mad and ran into the garage and got a shovel and held down the snake until he let go of the frog. The little frog hopped off! After he hopped off, I let the snake go. He wasn't hurt. I don't know where the snake went, but I hope he leaves my frogs alone! I think it was some kind of garter snake. Bad snake. Go eat someone your own size. Like I said, the snake disappeared and I know he wasn't hurt. Just detained from eating my little frog. I have had (Ophidiophobia) a/k/a Snakephobia, i.e. Fear of snakes. Growing up in Indiana with a grandmother that also had it, made mine just get worse. After living in Florida and then Houston and now south Texas, out in the country, I've had to work on getting over it. It hasn't been easy, but I no longer kill snakes unless they are poisonous. And after having studied snakes and learned which are poisonous and which are not, has made my life much easier. I'm still afraid if I don't know they are around and fall on me, which they have done from time to time, but I'm getting better everyday and appreciate what role they play in our world.

Well, NC is a "different bag of snakes"!! First step might be to identify what you have. According to: North Carolina's Coop Extension (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/watersnakes.htm) Of the 37 species of snakes throughout North Carolina, only six are venomous: Copperhead (found throughout NC) Canebrake Rattlesnake (found throughout NC) Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (found in southeastern NC) Pigmy Rattlesnake (found in southeastern NC) Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin (found in wetland areas in the eastern half of NC) Coral Snake (the rarest, found in the south and southeastern areas of NC) Hopefully you are splashing around in the northwestern part of NC - fewer poisonous snakes! The site below, Snakes of North Carolina, has good pictures of the snakes you will find there. Good luck and stay safe! Anne Here is a link that might be useful: Snakes of North Carolina

Snakes are strange critters. They know when you are coming because they can detect you through vibrations in the ground, your heat signature and likely any noise you make and they can even smell you. Once they have you located they will seek out a safe place and keep a close watch on you. As soon as you get too close, they are gone. They don't want to be anywhere near you if they can possibly get away so don't corner a snake that can strike if you can avoid it said my grandfather. In the summer they become nocturnal according to my Peterson Field Guide. You may be able to tell I don't know a thing about this particular kind of snake. I had to look it up because I didn't know what it looked like. Had never heard of it even though we used to live in it's range. Are your nights cool? If they are and you know its den, you might try the heating pad trick. Prop open the mouth of a bag that is laying on a heating pad set on low or medium heat. The snake will crawl in for the warmth. Pull the prop out so the bag falls closed Tie off the top of the bag. I doubt this will work with your current weather. Once your snake is in the water all bets are off but if you can catch him out, sweeping it into a garbage can with a broom is easy enough if you don't fool around. Cover the can with the lid until you can transport him. Do a search on catching snakes. There are other ideas. Sandy