Alli Alligood has a message about snakes: I saw a large non-venomous black snake at the intersection of Grace and 29th Streets yesterday. It had been killed, and it made me sad, so I thought it might be a good idea to remind everyone why we should not kill our reptilian friends under normal circumstances.

Of the 30 species of snakes found in Virginia, only three are venomous. And of the three venomous species, only the Copperhead is found (naturally) in Richmond. Its venom is also the least toxic of the three.

So that means that the snakes we see here in Church Hill and around the City are most likely harmless, and doing us a great favor by being here to take care some of our least favorite Hill dwellers – rats and mice.

You don’t have to like them, or want to be near them, but as long as they are outside, leave them alone, turn the other way, give them space, and they will do their job.

For more information about snakes and their benefit to us, check out the VA Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries website. They also have a great guide to the snakes in our state that they will send you for $5.00, or you can pick up (up to) two free copies at their office on Broad Street.