Fruit Trees Might Be The Unexpected Reason Snakes Are Showing Up In Your Yard

Imagine stepping out into your yard and harvesting fresh fruit from your very own tree. Fruit trees are a great way to add color, fragrance, and even shade to your yard, all while offering a refreshing snack. However, you're the only one who's drawn to these colorful plants. And if you've ever had one in your yard, you'll likely know that a variety of wildlife enjoys paying a visit to your fruit trees, which can lead to some surprising encounters.

Snakes are a class of predators known as obligate carnivores. This means that they can only obtain the nutrients needed to keep them alive from other animals. Typical prey for snakes includes mice and rabbits, but can extend to birds, fish, frogs, and even insects. So they might not be the first animal that springs to mind when you're thinking about animals stopping by your fruit trees for a quick snack. 

However, while snakes might not be interested in a tree's fruit, the plants do offer some benefits that may encourage snakes to draw near. And it has to do with the other animals that pay your fruit trees a visit.

Did you know that fruit trees are among the many plants that attract a variety of birds? Your personal orchard may also attract other little critters, ranging from smaller wildlife like rabbits, rats, and mice to animals as large as deer. These animals can flock to your tree for many reasons, whether that's food in the form of fruit or shelter among its leaves, branches, and root system. While having some predatory species around can be helpful, especially if you're trying to control pests around your fruit trees, animals like birds and rodents sheltering nearby can cause their predators to appear.

That's the case with snakes. Snakes aren't interested in your tree or its fruit — they're interested in the small animals that spend time around your fruit tree. For snakes, your fruit tree provides the perfect hunting ground where they can access a variety of prey, both on the ground and in the trees. As such, a fruit tree that attracts rodents and birds can also indirectly attract more snakes to your yard.

Snakes can offer a variety of benefits to your local ecosystem, and some people may welcome a snake's presence in their garden. However, when it comes to where you and your family spend time, you may not want to create a snake haven in your backyard. Thankfully, it's easy enough to take steps to deter wildlife from visiting your fruit trees, leaving them (and the snakes that follow) to seek food and shelter elsewhere. Pick up any fruit that's fallen to the ground, ensure you collect it when it's ready to harvest, and overall, keep a tidy space at the base of the tree. You'll likely notice a big difference.