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At first glance, some creatures and critters of the world seem horrifying, but some are not what they seem. At first glance, they may seem they are not beneficial at all, but most are simply misunderstood or improperly introduced or handled. Some of these feared animals and insects are beneficial to the garden.

Snakes

While most snakes don’t have a universal appeal as being beneficial, they are just that. Even poisonous snakes have a use in a garden so long as care is taken around areas where they are known to roam and hunt.

Some snakes keep the number of pesky insects in check, especially smaller snakes like garter snakes and ribbon snakes. Many bigger snakes keep the populations of rodents like rabbits, squirrels and even groundhogs and gophers to a minimum, thus reducing the damage sometimes done to gardens by these animals.

Teach your kids to respect the space around snakes as most snakes, whether they are poisonous or not, will strike if distrubed or harassed. Snakes are truly beneficial and very interesting to watch.

Ladybugs

Those cute little red and black insects crawl along our plants searching for food. A main source of food for them is aphids. Aphids are damaging to many plants, and a healthy population of ladybugs acts as a natural pesitcide.