Just going from experience, I always thought we had two kinds of snake: Bull snakes, and all the different kinds of rattlesnake. But on this clean-up gig I’ve had to carefully turn over several-going-on-many pieces of flat stock – old plywood, OSB, shards of RV walls, etc – certain that at some point I’d meet something nasty living underneath.
This morning I found my very first snake, and it came as a surprise…
Says here it’s either a Northern Mexico Garter or an Arizona Garter, and I didn’t know there was such a thing. I saw a helluva lot of garter snakes in Michigan, but didn’t know they lived in the desert. Live and learn. Also live and let live; they’re harmless.
The Garter Snake could well be regarded as our national snake, with subspecies of Thamnophis, present in most, if not all, locations: Wikipedia article.
And maybe they eat baby pack rats.
Ah, the good little garter snake… and the only snake that ever bit me. Can’t remember now why I picked it up, but I won’t do that again. It hurt, though it was not venomous, of course. The trick was getting the little monster to let go!! 🙂 I’ve never been afraid of snakes or insects, but have learned to be more cautious. LOL
Yes ML, I was bit by a King snake once. My “take away” lesson from that incident? Don’t hold a snake by it’s middle. Better yet, don’t hold it at all. They don’t like that! (At least, wild ones don’t).
Welcome to the snake!!! Yahoo!!!! Garter snakes will eat mice and small size rodents, probably baby rats. What a wonderful find and a free enhancement to your rat eradication program. Can you take it/them to your place and build a wood pile for it? They like water. Maybe build a little shallow pond, complete with umbrellas for shade and picnic tables where they can chow down on mice and rats?
Had one living in my garden for years but one of the hawks probably got it. It used to keep me company while I worked in the garden, probably hoping I’d stir up food for it.
Naw, it’s obvious a sjws (social justice warrior snake) named Barack. And after the election it’s going to be deported back to mexico.
Not a fan of snakes of any variety. I have had the odd one crawl into a sleeping bag with me when camping. BTW just in case you were wondering that is a hell of a way to wake up. I had an incident with a pit viper that managed to get out of it’s holding (damn sloppy keepers) in the middle of the night while working at a zoo. Yes I know all the good things that they do but I’m just not a fan. Personally it’s “put on the brown pants time” when I see one.
Ya i saved one of those snakes caught in old discarded bird netting for. A vegetable garden he was all tangled had to use a razor blade and perform minor skin surgery while trying not to get bit but near!the end he knew i was helping and would not bite me