8 Things in Your Yard That Are Attracting Snakes Right Now

Snakes aren’t showing up in your yard by accident. There’s a reason they’re there—and it usually comes down to food, water, and hiding spots. If your yard has the right mix of those things, it starts looking like prime real estate to a snake.

The good news is, once you know what’s attracting them, you can fix it fast and make your yard way less appealing to slithery visitors.

Tall Grass and Overgrown Weeds

Tall grass is one of the easiest ways to accidentally roll out the welcome mat for snakes. It gives them cover to move through your yard without being spotted.

Even if you keep the lawn mowed, areas with thick weeds, brush, or unmowed edges around fences can become snake highways. Keeping grass short and trimming back weedy spots makes your yard a lot less appealing.

Wood Piles and Brush Stacks

If you’ve got a stack of firewood, branches, or yard debris sitting around, you’ve basically created a snake hotel. These piles offer cool, shady hiding spots.

It’s not that you can’t have firewood, but it needs to be stored properly. Keep it raised off the ground, away from the house, and neat enough that snakes don’t see it as free real estate.

Leaf Piles and Mulch Buildup

Thick layers of mulch, old leaf piles, or neglected compost heaps hold moisture and stay cool—exactly what snakes love on a hot day.

You don’t have to ditch mulch altogether. Just avoid letting it pile up too thick, and don’t let leaves sit around longer than needed. Clean beds and tidy borders give snakes fewer places to hide.

Rock Borders and Retaining Walls

Those pretty rock edges around garden beds or stacked stone retaining walls? They’re perfect hiding places. Snakes squeeze between the gaps to stay cool and hidden.

If you’ve got these, check for open gaps and crevices. Sealing spaces or filling gaps with gravel can help cut down on how appealing these spots are to critters.

Unused Furniture and Yard Junk

An old shed, broken furniture, or even a stack of unused flowerpots can become snake hideouts faster than you think. Anything that’s been sitting untouched provides shade and shelter.

Do a quick scan of your yard and clear out anything that’s been sitting longer than it should. Less clutter means fewer places for snakes to hang out.

Bird Feeders and Chicken Feed

It’s not the birdseed snakes are after—it’s the rodents. Spilled seed attracts mice, which attract snakes. Same goes for chicken feed or anything left out for outdoor pets.

Use catch trays under bird feeders and store any animal feed in sealed containers. Cleaning up the ground regularly makes a huge difference.

Standing Water

Snakes need water, especially when it’s hot out. Bird baths, kiddie pools, leaky faucets, or even clogged gutters can turn into snake magnets.

If you need water sources for birds or pets, keep them clean and positioned away from heavy cover. Fix leaks and make sure drainage is working like it should.

Overgrown Shrubs and Dense Ground Cover

That thick row of bushes along your fence line might look nice, but it’s prime snake territory if it’s overgrown. Dense ground cover offers shade, protection, and even hunting grounds for small prey.

Trimming shrubs so they don’t touch the ground and thinning out dense areas makes it harder for snakes to hide out and hunt in your yard.

*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.