14 Surprising Ways Snakes Are Protecting Your Plants
This post may contain affiliate links.
Most people think of snakes as slithering creatures that shouldn’t be in the garden, not as allies. Snakes are easy to focus on for their stealthy ways and fangs, but they are also helpful to the health and balance of ecosystems—particularly in the garden. These reptiles are far from villains in your yard; they are silent bodyguards for your plants.
Although they are not cuddly or charismatic, snakes play a vital role in helping to maintain biodiversity and are an unexpected line of defense for your greenery. Let’s take a closer look at how these misunderstood creatures are your unlikely partners in gardening success.
Natural Pest Control
Pest control is snakes best kept secret when it comes to a gardener. Garter snakes or king snakes are just two of many species that have an insatiable appetite for common garden nuisances like slugs, beetles, mice, etc. These slithery helpers will mean you don’t have to use as many chemical pesticides, which are harmful to beneficial insects and leach into the soil. Imagine hiring a full time exterminator without the big paycheck.
Aphid Population Management
Every gardener’s bane are aphids. Snakes themselves don’t eat aphids, but aphids are tiny plant killers and snake presence can indirectly control them. How? Snakes help to keep an environment healthy because in preying on small rodents and insects that disrupts the balance, they cause an environment where aphid predators like ladybugs thrive. A win for your garden, a healthy food chain.
Turning the Soil Naturally
When snakes move through the soil their slithering bodies make tiny channels. The natural pathways used for these also aerate the soil and allow water and nutrients to penetrate deeper. Imagine it as nature’s tilling, without the back breaking labor.
Controlling Vole Infestations
Those sneaky little critters can destroy your plants from below ground. Gnawing on roots is something they love which can weaken or kill healthy plants. Rat snakes like voles. They keep these rodents in check, and help to safeguard your plants’ root systems.
Promoting Biodiversity
The healthiest garden is usually teeming with life. Snakes play their service role in the food web in a mixed ecosystem. They keep the predators and prey in balance and so prevent any one species from getting the upper hand. Fewer problems for your plants are a sign of a balanced ecosystem.
Minimizing Slug Invasions
While slugs may appear harmless, they’re well known for munching on tender leaves and stems. The garter snake is one of many snakes that specialize in hunting such slimy pests. They save your plants from becoming an all you can eat buffet by reducing slug populations.
Reduce the Need for Fertilizers
Healthy soil equals happy plants and snakes do indirectly help to keep soil healthy. Snakes keep rodents and other pests from overpopulating, and this keeps resources in the soil from being depleted. Fewer rodents mean less digging and burrowing that disturb nutrient cycles.
Keep Your Compost Pile Pest Free
Enriching your soil with compost is fantastic, but it also attracts rats and mice. Snakes see your compost pile as a hunting ground, keeping those pesky critters at bay, and allowing you to concentrate on growing lush, vibrant plants.
Deterring Harmful Insects
A few snakes feed on insects that can be very destructive in the garden. Cricket and grasshoppers which often feed on young plants, for example, are eaten by garter snakes. Snakes help thin out these pests so your garden has a fighting chance.
Supporting Pollinator Health
Bees and butterflies, and other pollinators, are vital to plant reproduction. These helpers in turn are indirectly protected from destruction of their own habitats or nests by the snakes preying on animals that would do so, such as some rodents and aggressive wasps. The result? A happier garden and more productive garden.
Curbing Invasive Species
Some invasive pest species can become rapidly out of control, so they can harm native plants and garden crops. With snakes often eating a wide variety of foods, they can be a help with these pesky unwanted guests. In reducing the number of invasive pests, they ensure native plants and animals have a fighting chance.
Reducing Stress for Plants
Plants don’t have emotions, but if they get stressed from pests, they’ll make fewer blooms or fruits. Indirectly, snakes control pest populations and over the long term lower the strain on the plants so they can devote their energy to growing and reproducing.
Expert insight
Dr. David Steen, a herpetologist and author, emphasizes the importance of snakes in gardens: Snakes are important to healthy ecosystems. “They regulate pests that harm plants, and a plant community with them is thriving and balanced.” Maybe it’s time we gave them the thumbs up if a herpetologist does.
Statistical Advantage
According to Retile Garden, gardens with snakes have fewer pest infestations than those without because snakes are regarded as the number one predators of rodents and other pests. The benefit of that is very tangible and something to count on when you welcome snakes into your garden.
Recycling Organic Matter
When snakes slip their skin, these remains decompose and return nutrients back into the soil. It’s a little thing, but it helps the health of your garden. It is nature’s version of composting, without the charge!
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
Affordable Home Entertainment: 11 Must-Have Finds For Enhancing Your Family Movie Nights
Affordable Home Entertainment: 11 Must-Have Finds For Enhancing Your Family Movie Nights
How to Clean Your Smoker Grill Combo Like a Pro
How to Clean Your Smoker Grill Combo Like a Pro
15 Common Mistakes That Unknowingly Make Your Home Look Bad
15 Common Mistakes That Unknowingly Make Your Home Look Bad
Bring Nature Indoors with These DIY Terrarium Ideas
