Slitherin'

As a lounge chair at the beach is to Homo sapiens, so a sun-warmed wood pile is to Thamnophis sirtalis.

My sister spotted the garter snake kaffeeklatsch by the pond first thing this morning. I went out a little later with my camera.  There were 6 or 7 arrayed on logs at different levels of the wood pile, companionably sunning themselves.

Garter snakes smell with their tongues.  They are one of the few serpent species that give birth to live young instead of laying eggs.  They can bite but are not poisonous. 

When you pick them up they sometimes secrete a musky stinky fluid from their anal glands – a good defense against curious humans like me.

They live pretty much everywhere, and eat frogs, tadpoles, earthworms, fish, small birds and rodents.  They can swim, and climb.  And hold quite still in the sunshine.

Comments

[Marie]

Yes, musky stinky anal fluid would make me think twice about picking it up.

[Amy]

Beware the snake butt juice.

[Nan]

Loved these pictures. I've become very fond of our garter snakes the past couple years. Because they are often on the stone steps we've gotten used to looking down before we walk but they are a huge surprise to others! Last year they were concentrated in the terrace steps area, but this year there are only a few there with the rest all over the yard - snakes in the grass.

[Amy]

I like the way they look perfectly relaxed and extremely alert at the same time.