• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Nancy Reading
  • Carla Burke
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • paul wheaton
  • Pearl Sutton
stewards:
  • Jay Angler
  • Liv Smith
  • Leigh Tate
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
  • Timothy Norton
gardeners:
  • thomas rubino
  • Jeremy VanGelder
  • Maieshe Ljin

Not really meaningless

 
Posts: 486
130
  • Likes 9
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Now that warmer weather is at hand ,well for most of us.  Please remember this old verse:

Red on black, venom it lacks
Red on yellow, kills a fellow.

This has nothing to do with my fear of "slims" just another really cool thing from the past.  

Peace
 
pioneer
Posts: 173
Location: Scotland, GB
4
home care tiny house books
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I remember reading this when I was young, except it was:

Yellow on black, venom lack;
Yellow on red, good as dead.

Not sure which snakes it refers to, though.  In Scotland, we apparently have adders, but I've never seen one -- sadly.
 
gardener
Posts: 1674
Location: the mountains of western nc
505
forest garden trees foraging chicken food preservation wood heat
  • Likes 9
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
red on black and yellow on black probably refer to kingsnakes, of which there are several species. also milksnakes and scarlets, neither of which is actually banded, more like ‘top spots’

red on yellow definitely refers to coral snakes. yellow on red could too, i guess, especially if ‘on’ means ‘against’ or ‘adjacent’.

basically if black bands keep the yellow and red separate, that’s safe. if the red and yellow are together, that’s trouble.
 
steward
Posts: 16058
Location: USDA Zone 8a
4272
dog hunting food preservation cooking bee greening the desert
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
It seems that it refers to several different snakes depending on where folks live:

KETK news said, The rhyme is meant to help distinguish the venomous Texas coral snake, which has red stripes next to yellow stripes, from similar looking snakes like nonvenomous milk snakes, which have red stripes touching black stripes.



Fire Safe South Carolina said, The most venomous snake in the state is also the rarest. Don't confuse it with the similarly colored non-venomous scarlet kingsnake. Remember this rhyme: "Red touches yellow, kill a fellow; red touches black, friend to Jack."



And here is a different opinion:

Please stop using the rhyme for coral snakes. These pictures are why, as none of them follow the rhyme
- Coral snakes come in many different variatons as all snakes do, and most of them do not follow the rhyme at all, and even the ones that technically could, still don't sometimes



https://www.reddit.com/r/snakes/comments/xjiye9/please_stop_using_the_rhyme_for_coral_snakes/
 
Jojo Cameron
pioneer
Posts: 173
Location: Scotland, GB
4
home care tiny house books
  • Likes 8
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I think I'll just play it safe and resist the urge to cuddle any snakes I find around the place.
 
Deane Adams
Posts: 486
130
  • Likes 4
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
OK, here's another old verse for the warmer months;

Leaves of three, let it be!!!   Also for the fall months if berries are white, flee in fright!!!

Peace

 
master gardener
Posts: 4256
Location: Upstate NY, Zone 5, 43 inch Avg. Rainfall
1721
monies home care dog fungi trees chicken food preservation cooking building composting homestead
  • Likes 6
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Another one for poison ivy. In particular when it is growing up on trunks.

"Hairy vine, no friend of mine"
 
I didn't know this tiny ad could juggle
2024 Permaculture Adventure Bundle
https://permies.com/w/bundle
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic