I found a snake in our garden last night. I'm not really crazy about it because I don't want him eating any of our frogs or toads. But my thought is to let him be if he's not poisonous. How can I find out?
Garter snake
Looks like a common garter snake to me, non-poisonous and helpful in that it eats lots of insects and a few small frogs. Don't know of many snakes that eat toads, at least not more than once.
George
hitesh wrote:
Looks like a ribbon snake. It helps to know your location. Generally, snakes with round pupils are non-poisonous, snakes with slits as pupils are poisonous. Your garden snake will help keep rodents away. Usually there are very few varieties of poisonous snakes in any given (USA) area. I see a copperhead about once or twice a year, and only one timber rattler in 15 years (E.TN) and I do a lot of mountain hiking.
How to find out if he's poisonous?
Well, if you get really sick when he bites you....
Joking aside -
It looks like a common garter snake, and no snakes native to North America with those markings are poisonous. All snakes, however, can bite you if you poke at them enough to P them off.
As with most things in nature, if you remove it, another will take its place. If there is habitat and food, the creatures will come.
Just hope that it eats its natural prey and isn't a lazy snake.
--------
A few weeks ago, I lifted the basement storm door (old fashioned flat kind) on the river place in southeastern MN, and saw a decent sized black snake resting near the hinge end of the door (2-3 ft). As I was watching it, I caught another snake out of the corner of my eye, on the swing edge where the door overlaid the edge, a couple feet from where I put my hand to lift the door. Timber rattler - a little one, maybe 2-3 ft, so I looked him over on three sides to be sure - triangular head, all the markings. They both left after a minute and went into the grass somewhere. Kind of surprised me that two different snakes would roost within a few feet of each other, but they are an odd couple anyway.
Those two snakes are now my welfare snakes - with the lawn having pocket gophers and moles annually, those lazy bastards sit in my doorway and never lift a scale to go eat the offenders.
Garter snake
-- sockiescat
Your garden doesn't really look like frog habitat, unless there's a water feature somewhere that I'm missing, so probably no worries about losing frogs. As someone else pointed out, your toads are probably not at risk, either. However, this snake looks like the right size to take care of rodents and other pests for you.
Garter snakes are among the most mild-mannered snakes out there. As a kid, I used to harass them at every opportunity, including catching and "taming" them so I could freak out my sisters by walking around with one draped off an arm, around my neck, in my lunch pail.... I managed to get bitten only once and that was during the actual catching, when I miscalculated how far behind the snake's head I was grabbing (far enough to allow it to whip around and nail me). Very minor wound with teeny-tiny teeth imprints. I didn't even tell anyone it had happened, for fear of being forbidden to catch snakes.
Jo Ann
hitesh wrote:
Wow, I come back from work today and look at all the replies. You guys/girls are great.
ACP, sockiescat: Thanks for the links. And so would you say this snake is good looking enough to be on ebay? ;-)
George S., Phisherman: I live in Northern Virginia, if that helps. I hope he doesn't scare away my toads .... they've been doing a great job catching bugs.
hob: Haha, that could make a great home snake poison test. First, let the snake bite you. Second, do you feel woozy? then ....
Jo Ann: As hob says, I sure hope he isn't one of those lazy, welfare snakes. It sure would help to have him patrolling and keeping any small critters away from the yard.
Thanks for the help. I've got a bit more peace of mind ... now I've just got to make him seem cute so the girlfriend doesn't freak out every time she walks by him. I'm thinking of naming him, Earl.
Thanks,
- Hitesh
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