Snakes are typically animals that prefer "edge" habitat - this habitat is often the area at the meeting of say, a forest, and perhaps what naturally might be a field, or a clearing. This edge habitat can be artificially created by humans in the form of agricultural lands or grazing lands, but also in the form of say, gardens. The benefit of these edge habitats is that it gives snakes ample opportunity and options to better thermoregulate, not to mention the fact that many species of prey animals (predominantly birds and mammals) are also attracted to edge habitat. Now, piling up a bunch of rocks in this already beneficial edge habitat can provide these animals with yet a better opportunity to thermoregulate. In essence, laying out rocks (especially if these rocks have space beneath them) is no different than what many scientists and field herpers do when they lay out boards and tin - they are creating artificial cover to (for the sake of argument) better observe/attract animals. I myself have personally laid out rocks, tin, and boards to attract animals in the past, and much of the time such effort is successful. Inadvertently several years ago I piled a large number of rocks in an area of my yard that was virtually unable to be gardened - within a few weeks I was seeing numbers of racerunners and fence lizards utilizing this rocky area (I had never observed racerunners anywhere near my yard until this incident). As for the issue with water, a birdbath certainly would not cause a snake to come to your yard whereas a larger body of water (a pond for example) might be enough to attract some species, especially during times of heat and drought. I would be rather interested in seeing the citations to such papers that state where copperheads utilize morning dew as a source of rehydrating themselves, if they could be provided. Now, to get to the question at hand, I completely agree with Erik. You really can't deter these snakes from using your yard, but then again as he stated, while venomous these snakes are highly inoffensive and quite beautiful. I have literally stepped on these animals before (unknowningly of course) and they have remained unaggressive. If they are in your area, just use a bit more caution and "look before you leap." I would rather enjoy finding the occasional copperhead in my yard! I hope this helps ~Mike

time2sell, I had a situation like that with my last investment property that I sold. The guy however, was doing it it kill my sale. He didn't like my buyers ethnicity and his wife even made sure I knew. He started parking all his cars in his front lawn, playing his country music very loud and doing little things just to try to scare my buyers off. There was no HOA so there was not much I could do. Luckily my buyer never said anything and the deal closed quickly. There is some sweet irony to this story though, my buyer apparently did notice the cars on the lawn, but interpreted it that it was ok to park on the lawn in his new neighborhood and started parking one of his cars on the lawn. Last time I drove by the house, he is still parking his car on the lawn. I guess the neighbor that thought he was spoiling my sale, actually started a new trend for the neighborhood. Serves him and his wife right. Time2sell hang in there. Focus on selling the house and not the jerk neighbor. Its juvenile and probably will have little impact on your sale. I also understand your not wanting to say anything to your neighbor. If the guy is this much of a jerk, he'll just be thrilled to know it bothers you.

Many years ago I had same issue. It was a corner lot and the bus picked up the grade school kids from the block at that corner. My fruit trees were on the side of the house. Fruit almost ripe and then all gone! We put out a BIG sign next year that said "fruit sprayed with insecticide. Do not eat". Then we dusted the trees with talcum powder. It worked! Nobody stole our fruit. Talcum powder is taboo these days so if the trees are dwarf dust them with white flour. It will look just as bad and hopefully keep the kids away.

Do consider that you are going to be waiting a long time for a 6' tree planted even as close as the center of one of your lawns to provide any significant amount of screening or shading of the house. But which particular window are you thinking about? A tree lined up just right with one of them and planted close enough could provide an adequate level of screening pretty quickly - maybe even immediately if of the right size and shape. With it also casting a moving shadow over part of the house some day. Otherwise you could block the street with solid fencing and/or hedging/screening plantings consisting of or including dense shrubby kinds. Usually river birch is not affected by bronze birch borer, with up here anyway it being the European, Himalayan and paper birches that are being hit now that the pest has come this far west. For instance the next door neighbors to a friend that lived near Seattle had two cut leaf weeping European birches and one river birch in their back yard. When the borer came to their neighborhood the European birches were being drilling out and dropping branches on his side of the fence in no time. Luckily the neighbors were quick to have these cut down. Providing in addition a much better view of the river birch, which as of the last time I was on the friend's property was still standing there looking intact.