A Mesa homeowner was taking the trash cans out when he spotted this baby Mojave Rattlesnake coiled underneath one in the backyard.

There wasn’t much about the yard itself that appeared particularly attractive to a rattlesnake. The bigger story is what surrounds it. This is a relatively new community surrounded by desert, with additional development continuing throughout the area.

As desert is converted into neighborhoods, young snakes dispersing across the landscape can occasionally find themselves navigating brand-new yards, walls, roads, and homes that weren’t there before.

Marissa safely relocated this little Mojave Rattlesnake.