Rattlesnakes and Avocados—or Why You Need BOOTS to Go Into an Orchard

Check out this amazing and slightly creepy snake couple. This video was taken by my neighbor while he was riding his bike in Happy Camp, a local trail here in Moorpark. Happy Camp is surrounded by—gulp—AVOCADO ORCHARDS! 

Watch second 38 when they REALLY get into it! Ugh!

The snakes are either 2 males fighting and marking their territory or they are a male and female, well, doing what males and females do. He said he didn't get close enough to find out what their genders were. (Can you blame him?!)

Back to me and my needs—as the Avocado Diva—I am always walking through orchards with ranchers, looking at trees and fruit. And I am terrified of snakes. I always wear "hardy" shoes, but now I am getting some tall boots. Boots that cover my ankles. And most of my calves. Shudder.  

Just yesterday I was tromping around an orchard in Somis. (Thank GOODNESS we picked yesterday - these Santa Ana winds are TERRIBLE on heritage avocados. The winds knocks them into each other and rips their thin, non-bumpy skins, causing scars. The fruit is not harmed, but they don't look as pretty).

So I asked the orchard owner (in a nervous voice), "Well, ever see snakes?"

She answered, "Nope, been here over 21 years. No snakes!" 

In less than 10 minutes, we saw two red-tailed hawks flying over us and fighting over a snake in one of their claws. GREAT. 

Less than 10 minutes after that, I spot—you guessed it—a snake.  

"Huh!" says the rancher.  "You probably called it out by mentioning a snake."

GREAT. (It was a black racer - not a rattler. And it was dead. But still, it was a snake. Shudder.)

Anyway, snakes are part of the Diva's world; She'll do just about ANYTHING to help save our heritage avocado trees, but she'll be doing it with boots on from hence forth. 

(No snakes were harmed in the making of this blog post. However, the red-tailed hawks chowed down on one—after ripping into two pieces—high above the Diva's head in that orchard...)