Eastern massasauga rattlesnake gives birth at Matthaei Botanical Gardens

An Eastern massasauga rattlesnake later dubbed “Gertrude” or “Gertie” gave birth at University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens.

The Eastern massasauga is Michigan's only venomous snake.

There's been enthusiasm among staff at the highly trafficked natural area.

Congratulations are in order for Michigan’s only brand of venomous snake — a threatened species — and the staff at the University of Michigan’s busy botanical gardens, as it turns out.

An Eastern massasauga rattlesnake later dubbed “Gertrude” or “Gertie” slithered into an open drainpipe at the University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor Township earlier this summer.

She liked it so much, she gave birth there.

Roughly 12 baby snakes were spotted around the end of July and early August with the M