What is the Garden of Eden Without a Few Serpents?

The flora presents little concern on Cortes Island. A few thorned plants and perhaps a poison ivy-type lurk gently. The fauna, on the other hand...
The deer, millions and millions of them, are the prey of he real Island meanies: the wolves. Everyone warns the newcomers that small dogs are the second-favorite meal of the pack. Diane II, not to be confused with Diane I, told us that her BIG dog will stop and insist they go no farther on some walks as he, Chancellor, knows what lies beyond, even on leash with a human protector. Shaggy, whose First Nations name is now Chicken Annoyer, is so curious that he'd be easy.
As quaint as it is to have an occasional doe and faun in the yard there is a tariff for that privilege.
Prior to the wolf education we've received I was only concerned that some of the spiders I have encountered might drag Shag off to their lair.
Cortes has serpents. What is purported to be the largest variety of swimming garter snakes lives here. Lili encountered one on the beach when we were here in July. "EEEK!" she exclaimed.
Then one day in one of the fenced gardens gathering apples for jam, she was surprised by another. She elevated just high enough for one of my slippers she was wearing to fall from her foot. In a rather excited state she hopped back to the house on her other, still shod foot. She EEEked, if EEEk starts with F, the whole way. Later she grabbed the gravel rake, changed shoes and went to show the snake who's boss. Much to her chagrin she discovered the snake was only half a snake, though it did die in a fit of jaw-extending anger. We figure a bird of prey - eagle, owl, hawk, pterodactyl - dropped it in the garden.
Of course the lesson here should be self-evident: wear you own damn slippers.
Is this snake, apple, woman, paradise, original sin thing creeping you out? We're alright; both of us have been baptized and have certificates to prove it.
A quick shout out to Marshall School, Class of 2013. I'm thinking of you and how different this place is from where you are. I hope you join and communicate with me through the blog. I could be a science project.