It's May - so snakes

Just like I said recently...I usually see snakes in May.
And it didn't take very long.

I always sit on this milk crate to weed the outer edges of my flower beds...trying to avoid that stereotypical image of an old woman bent over with her behind up in the air.

So there I was, weeding away peacefully and I glanced up to my left and noticed something didn't look right.

Yep, it was a snake, hanging in my contorted filbert. Here's a closer look.

And from the other side.  See how close I was getting on my milk crate back there?

I'm just glad I saw him before I came face to face with him!

Looking closer in the tree, I noticed he had just shed his skin.

I went back later and pulled the skin out of the tree.  Looks like he's about 5 feet long.

 The discarded skins are really sort of amazing. You can even see the eyes, or eye lids I guess.

Okay to get your mind off slithering creatures, here is my Iris bed blooming.  I have about 5 kinds now. There are some smaller ones that bloom later.

I dug up these apricot colored ones from Chopper's house last spring.

And my Weigela bloomed better this year. 

It's benefiting from more sunlight since a tree fell down nearby.