Snakes are not something we see every day here in Illinois. If I asked someone what animal they see very commonly, they would say squirrels, rabbits, deer, or some other mammal. Snakes are common in many parts of Illinois. These native snakes usually are not poisonous or dangerous to humans, but the snake I am about to talk about turns out to be poisonous. Most people are not fans of snakes, I’m no fan either, but they are important to the ecosystem. The Eastern Massasauga is an endangered snake that has a huge geographic range, reaching all the way up to Canada and even down here in Illinois.  The Eastern Massaauga is a species of rattlesnake and is venomous. There have only been two recorded human deaths from this snake and both happened in the province of Ontario in Canada.

The snakes are not that large, adults range from 18 to 30 inches. The snake is a gray color with a tan circular pattern on the entire body.  Their diet consists of vertebrates and invertebrates- mammals and reptiles.  One interesting thing about this snake is that, even though it has a large geographic range and is common in many areas, hospitals many times do not have anti-venom. Apparently it is difficult to treat bites from this snake and to make anti-venom.

The food we ate and where it came from has always been an important and strict topic in our house. Everyone in my family is a vegetarian, including me, so we had to carefully watch what we ate; whether if we were going out to eat or if we were buying food at the grocery store, we would have to check the ingredients for a few particular things. Whenever we go out to eat, whether it is fast food or at some sit down restaurant, we only order vegetarian meals. Sometimes there are not options for us, but thankfully they usually can make vegetarian dishes without problem. Then comes the inspecting of our meals to make sure there is no meat in them, or anything suspicious.

Ever since I was a small child (and before I was born I’m sure) my parents would always dedicate a portion of our backyard to a vegetable garden. We would (and still do) grow red and green peppers, tomatoes, squash, and some others. I noticed that there are many benefits to growing your own produce. One is that it will save you on the grocery bill, the food tastes better, and the environment is being helped.

Food is expensive, especially high quality food. One could go to the market or grocery store and buy high quality vegetables, but how can we really know it is high quality? The best way to avoid that question, in my opinion, is to grow on your own. That way you know how your plants are growing and what is being fed. Even the seeds you plant are under your control. This, in the long run, will save anyone a lot of money. The next point that I want to make is that the food usually tastes better and is healthier. My mom makes a variety of dishes using the vegetables we grew at home and they turn out great. I compared two similar dishes, one made at home with our produce, and the other dish from a restaurant. I can confidently say that the dish we made tasted fresher, better, and healthier than the other one.

Grocery stores still play a big role in our food consumption, so they are necessary. Having your own garden requires a lot of work. The plants need to be watered, checked to see how they are growing, and weeds need to be pulled every so often. One thing is for sure, it is a challenge, but a rewarding challenge in the end.

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