A Pocket Guide

When I got home after the show Friday night, John and the boys were already upstairs reading their bedtime stories. I didn't want to get the boys riled up by popping my head into their room so I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to listen for a moment. John was reading in his quiet go-to-sleep voice:

"Do not use a tourniquet. If tied too tight, it may cause the loss of a limb.
Do not make cuts through or near the site of the bite.
Do not try to suck venom from the site of the bite. You might have a tooth cavity or gum sore and this would place venom into that wound.
Do not allow anyone, including a physician, to administer antivenin to you UNLESS you have FIRST been tested to determine whether or not you are allergic to antivenin."

It was hysterical to me that John added THE END but I lost it when I heard Jack mumble FANK YOU, DADDY.

WHAT in God's name were they reading you ask? Well, a few weeks ago our house manager found a little booklet in the theatre after one of our performances. He gave it to me thinking the boys might be interested in the material. I wasn't sure if the boys would like it or not, but I figured they ARE boys...so I brought home A Pocket Guide to Kansas Snakes



You might say that the boys (mostly Jack) being interested in the material is an understatement. He SLEEPS with this book.

We have learned from this book "There are about 2,718 species of snakes worldwide with 141 found in the United States. Kansas has 38 species of snakes and they are the most diverse group of reptiles in our state." And our little Pocket Guide covers all the Kansas snakes! Each page in the booklet describes one kind of snake. You learn their common name, their Latin name, their size, area they occupy, a description and their habits - including how many offspring they produce. Did you know that if snakes lay eggs that the batch of eggs is called a clutch? Who knew? And if snakes produce live offspring they are called a liter. (See sample pages below.)



Did you know

"*Snakes don't swallow their young to protect them during times of danger (acids in a snake belly would quickly kill and digest the young.
*Snakes don't milk cows (snake teeth are very sharp and cows won't stand for it).
*Snake tongues are not stingers (They do, however, tickle).
*Snakes cannot crawl faster than a person can walk (it just seems that way to someone adrenaline-driven individuals when they unexpectedly encounter one of these reptiles).
*Snakes will cross a horsehair rope (back and forth as many times as they like)."

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All images and quotes taken from:
A Pocket Guide to Kansas Snakes Text by Joseph T. Collins & Suzanne L. Collins Photos by Suzanne L. Collins & Bob Gress. Funded by Westar Energy Green Team and the Chickadee Checkoff. Published by the Friends of the Great Plains Nature Center. 2006