Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2013 - 17

C Slitherin’
Nancy Henderson

The common garter is the most
frequently encountered snake in
many parts of the Blue Ridge region.
SpotS and StripeS Forever. The
common garter snake is a mediumsized reptile 18 to 28 inches long.
Typically, three light-hued stripes run
along the length of its body in
contrast to a black, brown, gray or
olive background, but some garters
have alternating rows of dark spots
forming a checkerboard pattern
down the sides. Tongues are red,
tipped in black.
SnakeS on a plain. Garter snakes
prefer meadows, fields, woodlands,
hillsides and other grassy environments and are often found near
water sources such as ditches, ponds
and streams. Overgrown yards,
community parks and vacant lots
entice them to suburban neighborhoods, where the adaptable critters
often hide among debris, wooden
boards, vegetation, logs or rocks.
Coiled and Cozy. Although it may
only emerge on warm afternoons in
the winter, this snake is active all year
in the Southeast and can tolerate
cold weather. In fact, it’s the only
species found in Alaska! When
temperatures do drop below their
comfort level, garters hibernate in
abandoned burrows, rock piles or
stumps, lying together in tight coils
for warmth.
department oF deFenSe. The
snake, whose stripes make it difficult
to see in the grass, uses several
defense mechanisms to ward off
predators like hawks and raccoons. If
disturbed, it is apt to hide its head
and flail its tail. If that doesn’t work,
it may flatten its body to appear
larger, release a foul odor, or strike
and bite. (The latter poses no grave
danger to humans, who usually experience a slight itching, burning or

maimai/istock photography

Creature
Feature

The garter’s rare bite is not dangerous; it’s more likely to flail its tail when threatened.

swelling at the site of the wound.) It
may also slither into the water to
escape an enemy chasing it on land.
ChemiStry leSSon. This snake’s
senses, from vision to smell to sensitivity to vibrations, are highly
evolved. Even more impressive,
perhaps, is an ability to use its
forked tongue to collect chemicals
from the air and deposit them into a
special organ in the roof of the
mouth. The garter snake follows
these pheromone signals to track
other snakes or their trails.
FaSt Food. Garters aren’t picky and
will eat just about anything they can
overpower: earthworms, frogs and
their eggs, salamanders, leeches,
slugs, snails, insects, baby birds,
rodents, lizards, even other snakes.
With quick reflexes, they often
swallow fish and tadpoles whole.
the mating game. Like many
animals, when it’s time to couple up,
the male garter emits pheromones to
attract a mate. He faces a great challenge, though: Guys greatly

Color Palette
There are dozens of regional sub-species with
their own distinct color patterns. Some are
even solid black.
Bite Me
Unlike most animals, garter snakes are
immune to the toxic skin of toads, newts
and other amphibians, so they can eat
them with no problem.
outnumber girls, which lowers the
chances of getting lucky. As soon as
a female emerges from her den in
the spring, up to 25 aggressive
males surround her to form a
“mating ball” vying for her attention. Some wily fellows even try to
lure competitors away by producing
a fake female pheromone! After
mating, the girl snake returns to her
summer habitat to feed and find a
good place to have babies.
little WigglerS. Garter snakes are
ovoviviparous, which means they give
birth to live young – from a handful
to 50 or more at a time – in late
summer or early fall. The offspring
are immediately left on their own and
must fend for themselves. 
September/October 2013 | 17

Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2013

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