Q: We were spreading a pile of mulch and came across eggs that are as big as chicken eggs, but more slender. Our neighbor’s lawn man killed a timber rattlesnake in their yard a couple of weeks ago. Hope these didn’t come from that!

A: They are probably black rat snake eggs. These slender creatures are very common and harmless. Since rattlesnakes have live births there’s no need to worry about them being connected to the eggs.