here are some additional pictures of the big gaps on the bottom of our fence.

Sorry......rocks and mulch will not keep snakes away. And plants will attract bugs, both good ones and bad ones....not keep them away!

Outdoors is outdoors and you cannot keep nature completely at bay. You either need to learn to live with it or stay indoors with doors and windows closed. And even that will not keep all the bugs out.

Try looking at plants that will attract a wide variety of birds. Birds are the best pest control on the market!!

Many plants attract butterflies but which ones will work for you depends on where you are and how much sun an area gets. For example, I live in Texas and Lantana thrives here, but wouldn't do well in the northeast....I believe there is a butterfly forum here, but I don't know how active it is.

Snakes are a fact of life in many areas, but not all snakes are harmful. It's a must that you find out which is which. And, if you have kids, it's a great way to teach them what's what...

Usually, if you take this as a fun learning experience, you'll be okay with the outdoors.

There are plants that keep mosquitos away, but I've never found them to be beneficial for that purpose...but bats are. Perhaps another fun project would be to build a bat house?

I do see that you have gaps...I also see the steep slope in your yard...I'm wondering if you get monsoon like storms like we do? I would wait for a few bad ones before you plan a garden. You'll see a pattern of runoff that may need to be addressed first (you don't want all your mulch and plants to go floating away)

Congratulations on your new home! I know that it's difficult to be patient, but it will pay off in the end and you won't make any mistakes that will cost...

my dog does not like pest either and she be so scare to go in the yard. since October we only found two snakes on our patio. I'm sure there is a way to seal up those ditches so they wont come in that way. There has to be.

Glad you laughed Ashley. Snakes eat vermin. Snakes are good. I grew up in Florida swimming in lakes with alligators and snakes and an ocean full of sharks and jellyfish. Mosquitoes are a curse that is true. Ignore all the other bugs. Maybe try finding a skin lotion that works for you. Many make the claim they help keep bugs away from you personally.

Okay, yes, we're in the DFW area also...

I would honestly wait through the spring...that's when we get our monsoon-like storms...so you can see what's what with the runoff.

It's possible that the snakes won't stick around, really, especially if you're in a new development where they've been run off by the building. The past little bit they probably are looking for any warm spots.

My moms house, here, was empty for years before they bought it...we saw a couple in the beginning but not really any more. Do use caution though, as some are poisonous. And educate yourself about the brown recluse spider. I've seen one and I'm glad I knew what it looked like as I'm the kind that just brushes stuff aside if it's in the way.

I think the very worst thing is the "startle" factor. I'm not squeamish but I don't like to be startled by anything...

Ashley maybe you are just phrasing your question wrong.

"I have a small dog. Let's call him Toto. The dog is afraid to go outside in our new backyard. So far we have found two snakes in the yard. There are visible gaps below the new fence. There is a drainage ditch behind the fence and this is a fairly rural area. What else could crawl under the fence and get in the yard? How can I critter proof the bottom of my fence?'

It's the bigger varmints you need to be wary of. Ignore the bugs.

Call your brother. He can talk you down.

You're not going to be able to block the gaps below the fence because rain water must have a way to escape from your property. If you used some kind of wire mesh that was tight enough to be a barrier to a snake, it would be plugged up in no time. Also, gaps are going to develop in the fence over time. It would be a futile battle.

Seriously, your thoughts about snakes are irrational in the extreme. A snake would not come to your yard to stay but only be passing through. There is nature outside of your property lines so it will be impossible for you to clear all that land of snakes to within a mile of your property, just to keep them from coming onto your property. You'd be lucky to have have a snake spend more than a few minutes in your yard and the time would be shortened if it knew you were there. To keep a snake confined under a garbage can for two days when it would have just gone away in fifteen minutes ... you must be able to see there is something wrong with that strategy. Even if you don't know what kind of snake one is, it's generally easy to be able to tell if it is toxic or not, from a distance. You can ignore non-toxic snakes and get someone else to deal with any dangerous one.

You built your home in their habitat and destroyed where they were living (along with plenty of other critters). Seems like you're better suited to a high rise apartment in a city where critters will be at a minimum. Perhaps some counseling to get at the root of your irrational fears of naturally occurring creatures we share the planet with would be more helpful than trying to keep them all out of your yard.

Ditto

Try using hardware cloth. You can attach it to the fence with heavy duty staples, then bury the other side about 12 " in the ground.

"calling pest control every time a snake come is expensive." You don't do that. If it's a harmless snake, you just go about your business, ignoring it. Or, you go inside for a few minutes, again, ignoring it. To do otherwise is creating your own problems.

As the surrounding community is built up, there will be fewer critters coming to visit. Be patient.

Where do you live? Poisonous snakes are not necessarily very commonplace. Most poisonous snakes have very specific environments they prefer and a bare bones backyard is not one of them! And poisonous or not, snakes do not lurk under furniture "trying to bite you"!! Like most wildlife, they dislike humans and will attempt to get away or hide from you. Only if they are cornered with no means of escape will they strike out.

Honestly, you are completely overreacting to this!!

garden I am in texas. I had patio furniture and both were under the chairs soon as you come out the door.

Snakes dont like people, then why are they always under my patio furniture? explain? This one was particularly under the chair and when I let my dog outside, as she ran past it lunge out. IF snakes only pass through, why do they insist on making home under my furniture?

Those glue traps aren't "snake traps"....you will find squirrels, chipmunks, birds of all kinds, ground beetles, probably earthworms, slugs, spiders galore, anoles and other lizards, and more. It's a hideous way to kill an animal.

I strongly suggest that you seek some counseling for this phobia. I cannot believe that you have never seen a snake before because I can assure you that they abound in all of the places you've mentioned.

These poor individuals have shown up because of all of the clearing and building in the area. Get yourself educated about your harmless snakes and prepare for the long haul. The more you know about them, the less frightened you will be. Phobias are easily managed, if you try. I believe that both of your snakes are types of King snakes, very common, very beneficial, beautiful, and intelligent.

I'd be more anxious about all of that sod right up against the fence. That's a lot of weed eating for some poor sucker.

Yes, TX has bats. These are in Austin and famous. But you have them in DFW, too. "Every summer night, hundreds of people gather to see the world's largest urban bat colony emerge from under the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin, Texas. These 1.5 million bats are fun to watch, but they're also making our world a better place to live."