Is this a garter snake? I’ve seen him in my back yard a few times and am just wanting to make sure he’s not something to worry about.
Yup, looks like an Western Gater snake.
Harmless.
ETA: Mostly Harmless.
Thanks, beowulff!
That should read mostly harmless to humans… if you happen to be a cricket be very, very afraid.
When handled they can put a horrible stink on your arms and hands. Just so you know.
Cool pic! Did you take it yourself, or is it one you found that just looks like your snake?
I took the pic. I had macro extension tubes on the camera and was looking for bugs when I came across him. He’s about 2 feet long and looked very afraid, so I stayed about 2 feet away and focused with the lens at the long end, about 300mm.
That shot WOULD be worrying.
They are ADORABLE when they strike at you. I tried to back off but it was clear he thought it was intimidate or die and he came at me (bro) about three inches and then just sat there waiting to see what I’d do. I left and he’s all, “That’s right.”
By the way, I’ve been bitten by garter snakes a couple of times. They can draw a little blood.
This is the best photo I have seen in a species ID thread. Well done!
ETA: based on your location of Washington, DC, I would guess it’s an Eastern garter snake.
Beautiful shot, beautiful snake.
I love garters, but my mom was always convinced they were going to give us salmonella and we’d die in the hospital. Once when I was about 4-5, I caught one (I was a naive and stupid young child) and had it by the middle of the body as I ran back to my mom to show her - it kept biting my hand and arm while I ran towards her, and it maybe broke the skin twice? Maybe? I was so proud of myself that I had stalked and caught that snake all on my own, and then I run up and my mom was so damn horrified. I think she put mecurochrome on my arm for about a week straight.
My gf doesn’t like them around the house because they eat toads and she likes toads. So every time she sees one she calls me and I catch it while she goes to the garage for a feed-sack. I put it in the bag and she walks a mile or two into the woods and releases it.
One time a particularly large one got away from me in the garage. She is mildly snake phobic, and I knew there would be trouble if I didn’t catch it. It went under a work bench and I stuck my hand under and let it bite me so I could grab it with my other hand. Ouch.
That right there is love.
A friend of mine calls them “gardener snakes” because she always sees them in her garden.
So… it’s within the garter belt?
It’s recently been discovered that garter snakes do produce venom.
However, it is only mildly toxic and garter snakes don’t have an effective means of delivering it, so a bite is harmless to people.
BTW, standard advice if you are bitten by a non-venomous snake is that you may want to go to a doctor if you haven’t had a tetanus booster recently.