I remember walking along a Japanese stormwater drainage channel under construction back in ‘82 at Fuji, about a mile from nearest soul. Grunts hated patroling that area, because the snakes would drop out of trees on top of you and scare the Dickens out of you.
I walked along the channel, about 20 feet with knee high grass about 15 feet from the same treeline, when I thought i saw something move in the grass ahead of me, thinking, Ya know, this would be a great place for snakes. So I decided to turn around and follow the channel back. As I turned around 5 snakes turned from within about 3 feet from where I had been walking and went back towards the trees.
These were cute ones. Pit Viper looking heads, as thick as your forearm, green western diamondback type back pattern, with yellow underbelly, but short, maybe 24” long each.
Just the kind of snake that would really get you excited when they dropped on you as you patrolled under the jungle canopy.
OMG, Serious heart attack time.
My sister-in-law here in Texas used to roll bowling balls over the snakes on her porch at her horse farm. I don’t think it worked. Her husband just had to shoot them.