Rattle Time

Rattle Time in Ontario Earl Plato
Just west of Port Colborne we turned north onto a side road into Wainfleet Marsh years ago. Was it Beiderman’s or Young’s? I forget. Three ladies, Elaine, Edna and Alice went into the farmhouse at the end of the road to take some material to be made into some woven rugs. We were on the south end edge of Wainfleet Marsh. The owner, an old gentleman, came outside in the warm sunlight. I had seen some snake-like objects on the lawn north of the rambling farmhouse. He saw my interest and his never forgotten comment was, “Those are rattlers. Don’t hurt them. They won’t hurt you. Just sunning themselves.” To his left out on his lawn were, as I recall, two brownish-gray mottled-coloured snakes. They were Massasaugua rattlers confirmed by the farm house owner. To my dear wife and in-laws who emerged from the old house I said nothing at the time. My mother-in-law was and still is very afraid even of the mention of snakes, any kind, let alone rattlers. To this day I don’t think they believe what I saw. Believe me, I did.
Since my Wainfleet Marsh days I have never seen a Massasaugua rattlesnake in the wild. I have been into the Marsh several times over the years and of course wearing boots . No luck. How about you?
Note: The Massasaugua wants to avoid you. Most of them are less than three feet in length. It may shake its rattles to scare you off. Newly born Massasauguas don’t have a true rattle but a small button on the end of its tail. Later as it grows they shed their skin and the first segment of a rattle appears. Don’t let size fool you. Baby rattlesnakes have the same Venom that is just as toxic as their mother’s. The cute little things can do serious damage. Note: The Massasaugua has nine enlarged scales on its head. I never got close to check it out but believe me. Remember that in 1990 under the Ontario Game and Fish Act it became prohibited to harass, take or kill the Massasaugua rattler. That law still stands.