harvested three bunches of Musa basjoo formosana 台灣芭蕉, 山芎蕉 from our garden. Bunches were 4-6 m off the ground and weighed 15-20 kg each. The sticky resin from the plant stains clothes and is difficult to get off of tools. The bananas are stumpy, sweet and less textured than common chiquitas.
Discovering our killed garden companion. The King Ratsnake 臭青公 (chòu qīng gōng) Elaphe carinata is one of the largest and heaviest snakes in Taiwan, growing up to 240cm. It is common throughout the island up to 2000m. It is known by farmers for its rat-killing skill. It lives in wooded areas and farming areas, and is found in fields and rice paddies. Females produce 8-14 eggs in the summer. It eats mice, birds, bird eggs, frogs, lizards and notably other snakes.
The Greater Green Snake 青蛇 (qīng shé) Cyclophiops major, reaches up to 130 cm. This mild-tempered diurnal invertebrate eater inhabits humid forests and agricultural areas, where it feeds on earthworms and insect larvae. This harmless snake is diurnal and semi-arboreal and rarely bite, they are often found in trees where they sleep at night. Females produce 4-13 eggs in spring to early summer. It is often mistaken for the Chinese Tree Viper (V. s. stejnegeri) and killed. The poisonous bamboo viper or Chinese green tree viper 赤尾青竹絲 (chìwěi qīngzhú sī) Trimeresurus stejnegeri stejnegeri has a triangular head, red eyes, a white stripe along both sides of the body, and a reddish-brown tail; while the Greater Green Snake has an oval head, black eyes, no stripes, and a green tail.
