Be Careful If You Suddenly Smell Cucumbers This Summer In New York

It's not uncommon to smell cucumbers in Western New York in the summertime. They're a very popular vegetable to find in gardens all over the place. But if you suddenly smell it somewhere that it shouldn't be, there could be some danger lurking.

Cucumbers don't always represent relaxation

You hear people being referred to as "cool as a cucumber" all the time. It's something that people use for relaxation all the time. But it could actually be a sign that you're around a venomous snake, and they're not very happy about it.

Cucumber smells could mean copperheads are near

You've heard that animals sometimes emit smells when they're angry, right? Sometimes they use sounds like a growl, a bark, or a rattle to warn that you are in their space. But other times, they'll let out a smell. In the case of the copperhead snake, that smell resembles the smell of fresh cucumbers.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the smell is produced by glands at the base of the tail. It can be done at will, and could be mixed with feces.

Are there copperheads in New York State?

It's not often that we run into venomous snakes here in New York. Most of the snakes here barely even bite, much less carry venom. But there are a few that could cause an issue. Of the 17 species of snakes that are native to New York, only 3 are known to be venomous. One of those is the copperhead. Their bite can be incredibly painful, and they're expensive to treat. The good news, though, is that they're rarely fatal.

So if you smell a cucumber, and don't see one, you're going to want to back out of wherever you are until you know what's causing it. It's better to be safe than sorry.