When it’s hot and dry in the desert, anything with regular access to water becomes useful to wildlife. Lawns, gardens, and potted plants on patios are all things we create to make our homes a little more comfortable in an otherwise very dry environment. But we’re not the only ones that benefit from them. These areas provide water, shade, cooler temperatures, and often attract the smaller animals that rattlesnakes are looking for. We respond to several calls that show this happening in different ways. None of these homeowners are doing anything unusual—they’re just maintaining their yards. But when conditions in the surrounding desert are hot and dry, those small pockets of water and vegetation can become very attractive to wildlife. We also answer a question that comes up pretty regularly in the comments: if it’s so hot and dry outside, why don’t we give every rattlesnake water before we relocate it?