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"He climbed an incredibly tall tree while my kids played very loudly nearby," Gemma Richards said in an email to the Daily Voice. "He reached the top of the tree and seemed to rest there for a while, but I didn’t see him come down or fall out."
Richards said she was pleased to spot the harmless black rat snake after seeing two copperhead snakes on her property earlier.
She also reported that her neighbor had spotted a copperhead on their property within the last two weeks.
Last month, a copperhead snake bit a 14-year-old boy who was on a field drip to Devil's Den Preserve in Weston. While copperheads are venomous, their venom is relatively mild and rarely lethal to humans. The teen was successfully treated at Norwalk Hospital for the bite.
If you're looking to spot a black rat snake — look up. Experts say the are skillful climbers and are known to climb high in trees to find prey, as the one in Weston was doing.
They will also hide in old woodpecker holes. Black rat snakes are known to climb rafters in barns and similar buildings.
Black rat snakes are found in forests, fields, marshes, and farmland — and may not be that hard to spot: They can grow up to 8 feet in length.
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