How do you identify a garter snake?
Common garter snakes are highly variable in color pattern. They typically have three light stripes that run along the length of their body on a black, brown, gray, or olive background. The stripes can be white, yellow, blue, greenish, or brown.
What other snakes look like a garter snake?
Closely related to Garter Snakes are Water Snakes (Nerodia species) and these are also found frequently in gardens, particularly in the northeastern US. Unlike Garter Snakes, Water Snakes are relatively boring in color and appearance- brown with some darker colors mostly.
Where do garter snakes nest?
Garter snakes don’t create and burrow their own holes. They utilize the holes of other animals or natural cracks in the soil. Shed skins may be found in the spring or late summer. Most adult garter snakes shed two to three times per year.
Does a gardener snake look like?
What Does a Garden Snake Look Like? Garden snakes, nicknamed garter snakes, come in many varieties, various colors, and have different markings, depending on your area of the country. These snakes are usually brown or black but may be a greenish color. Most have a checkerboard pattern near the stripes.
Do garter snakes bite humans?
While most species are classified as harmless (non-venomous), their bite can cause minor swelling or itching in humans, and anyone bitten by a garter snake should clean the bite thoroughly. It is not ultimately a cause for concern.
What time of day are garter snakes most active?
Considering they spend the winter hibernating, a potential run-in with a garter snake will most likely occur during the late spring and summer. These pests are also primarily active during the warmer hours of the day, like the afternoon, which is when they leave their dens to hunt and bask in the warm sunlight.
Do garter snakes climb?
Some garter snakes will climb a small tree or shrub which can be disconcerting the first hundred times you see one slithering down a low lying limb. A few will even go in the water and feed on fish. The reptiles are also cold blooded, meaning they love to sun themselves for warmth.
How do garden snakes appear?
Garden snakes, nicknamed garter snakes, come in many varieties, various colors, and have different markings, depending on your area of the country. These snakes are usually brown or black but may be a greenish color. Most have a checkerboard pattern near the stripes. Other colors of these snakes vary.
Is it safe to pick up a garter snake?
Garter snakes don’t harm any humans, are mostly docile and can be fun to watch. I still love picking them up and wrapping them around my hands in amazement. So keep your shovel in the shed and make some space in your garden for the garter snake.
Do garter snakes stay in the same area?
Unless, of course, their den is on your property. In contrast, harmless garter snakes and ringneck snakes will often burrow underground or find natural cavities (such as rodent burrows) to evade the cold. And they tend to stick in the same area. So if you see one in your yard, it may remain there for years.
Do garter snakes enter house?
Like all reptiles, garter snakes are cold-blooded creatures, so they are often found in locations that offer warmth and food. These slender snakes can enter your home through fairly small cracks. Garter snakes often snack on small mammals, too, such as mice, and small amphibians, such as toads and frogs.
Where do garter snakes make their nest?
Garter snakes don’t create and burrow their own holes. They utilize the holes of other animals or natural cracks in the soil. Shed skins may be found in the spring or late summer.
What does it mean when you see a garter snake?
In some tribes, garter snakes (also known as garden snakes) are symbols of jealousy or dishonesty; to other tribes, they are a symbol of water. In the traditions of the Arapaho Indians, garter snakes are associated with the Sun Dance and are represented in the hoop of the tribe’s sacred Medicine Wheel.
What time of day do garter snakes come out?
Garter snakes are incredibly active. They come out both night and day. They are typically ground-dwellers, but they may also climb shrubs, vines, or trees to escape predators. Some species of Garter snakes are even proficient swimmers.