Hat tip to BuffettGirl! Okay, so when you showed me this article, in my haste I was under the impression they thought someone had put a rubber snake in a tree. I had no idea rubber boa was a species nor could I have imagined it was native to the Northwest! I guess, then, it will be fine through the winter.
[....]
A group of hikers came across the rubber boa in the Estacada area. Turns out, rubber boa snakes are native to Oregon.
“Another couple who were hiking ahead of us had stopped to look at something, and I just stopped to say, ‘What are you looking at?’” said hiker Karen Meier. “… They said, ‘Oh there’s a rubber boa in the tree here,’ and I look up and there’s a snake in the tree right here.”
Meier was hiking with friends along the Clackamas River Trail on Thursday afternoon. They were between Fish Camp and Indian Henry, for those familiar with the area, and had just passed the Pup Creek Waterfall when they saw the boa.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed to FOX 12 on Friday that the snake was a rubber boa, a constrictor that eats small prey like mice.
The snakes are not dangerous to humans, according to ODFW biologists, and can be found in a variety of habitats, especially in forest clearings along the coast range.
It’s not clear how often they are seen in Clackamas County, but the habitat along the trail is right for the species.
ODFW isn’t getting involved regarding this snake, saying, “It’s just a snake doing its thing.”
Meier added that the snake encounter won’t change her hiking habits.
“I studied wildlife, so I’m into this stuff. I think it’s really cool to see different wildlife,” she said. “Other people weren’t so sure they liked snakes.”
[....]
Snake on a tree: Hikers find big boa along Clackamas River Trail
ESTACADA, OR (KPTV) - A startling discovery for hikers along the Clackamas River Trail: A sizable snake in a tree.
www.kptv.com