This is, of course, a dreadful photograph -- but it is still an observation. Heh. This plains garter snake was slinking through the bush along the side of Cherry Creek and the Canadian River basin in Norman, Oklahoma. A fast snake, it was gone in a flash.
Ran out of gas a block from a gas station, and stayed with the car while my husband went to fill the gas can. In the ditch was a large floor mat from a truck. Being the herper that I am, I couldn't resist flipping it over.
2 large female garters sat beneath it, along with a bull snake.
The basement snake has reappeared!
I was sitting in my living room, when I heard a plastic bag rustle. I thought it was just a breeze, or something shifting, when I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. The snake had climbed up onto a box and lifted his head to stare at me. :) It was incredibly cute. He made his way up the stairs, and came up to me, as if he knew I was the way out, lol.
I took him outside into the yard, and snapped a couple of photos before releasing him.
Edit: Later, upon returning home, I discovered that he had decided to become our porch snake, as he disappeared beneath the steps. This was pretty cool, as the last I saw him, he was headed for bushes in the opposite direction.
The Plains Garter Snake (Thamnophis radix) is a species of Garter snake native to most of the Central United States stretching as far north as Canada and as far south as Texas. It has a distinctive orange or yellow stripe that goes from its head to tail, the rest of its body is mainly a gray-green color. The snake is commonly found living near water sources such as streams and ponds, but can also be found...
