A Beautiful Day in the Yard 4-12

[Bduck]

Decided to take advantage of tilling the garden beds just before next storm arrives. Whenever I'm out in the yard our Yorkie likes to rummage around but then he always has access to the backyard whenever he wants. As I'm working garden beds, I noticed he was pouncing around at something, thinking he caught a bird since Magpies and Robins are always in the yard. Immediately I stop my chore to go see what he was raising havoc with. Found that he caught a Garter snake basking in the sun in his backyard territory. We have had this dog for 7yrs now, he keeps his yard clear of pesky critters, mice, voles, snakes, birds, occasionally large hoppers as a snack. After a while that evening I noticed the dog wasn't feeling too well as he was lethargic. Garters have venom but not poison to us or dogs when bitten. I have caught several every year in the yard always taking them to be released in a field, I won't harm them. I have had my share of snake strikes on my hands. The other thing is Garters emit an odor thru its skin which I think is what made my dog sick. This is the first time he has gotten sick.


There are a couple wet spots on this snake
from the attack of my dog, an early
B-Day gift for mama. This is an adult Garter


This pic was taken on my wife's B-Day 4-25-2018,
Our dog was just 4mos. old then.

[wiperhunter2]

Hopefully your dog will be feeling better today Roger. Is a garter snake the same as a common water snake? If so, I've never heard of a dog getting sick from one. We have water snakes in our back yard too, always seem to find them around our garden beds or in them. Years ago, I was tubing down the Weber river, when it was low, got into the mossy area and felt something on my shoulder, thought it was moss but I looked and it was a water snake, inches from my face, needless to say I stood up really quick.

[Bduck]

Don’t know if there is a relation between those 2 snakes. The Garter snake which is known by most as the Gardner snake is very common if you living near fields. 
My dog is back to normal this morning and is back out hunting snakes. Dogs never learn to leave porcupines alone, apparently the same with snakes. Just glad there is no rattlers here in my yard. 

[wiperhunter2]

Don’t know if there is a relation between those 2 snakes. The Garter snake which is known by most as the Gardner snake is very common if you living near fields. 
My dog is back to normal this morning and is back out hunting snakes. Dogs never learn to leave porcupines alone, apparently the same with snakes. Just glad there is no rattlers here in my yard. 

I had to look it up, this is what Wikipedia says, "Garter snakes are closely related to the genus Nerodia (water snakes), with some species having been moved back and forth between genera."

I know the markings on that snake, in your pic, is different than water snakes I have seen in my back yard.

[Bduck]

The other day when my dog encountered the snake, I just let it go. It has an entry point under the patio. Today I put on a pair of gloves and caught it basking in the sun. Still a little sluggish in its movements made it easy to apprehend. Released in a nearby horse pasture.



A good size sucker

[wiperhunter2]

That one is good sized, looks to be at least 3 to 4 ft long?

[Bduck]

When I read about the Garter snake, its breading season starts in late March going into early April when sensing warm weather. Their offspring comes in 100 days. I always catch a bunch of little ones around the yard. One day I caught 4 adults out my front door where they were getting access under walkway. Had to pack dirt underneath with small decorative rock along edge denying future refuge. Another day I caught 12 varying in different sizes. When edging lawn, occasionally I'll find a corpse where one got chopped from the edging blade.

[wiperhunter2]

I've never seen that many in one area, the most I've seen is two.

[Bduck]

I've talked to several neighbors here, they have seen a few Garters slithering about. Also have a pair of hawks patrolling/cruising for meals in the neighborhood. Will see them sitting on a roof top with their version of a nightcrawler grasped.

[jjannie]

Our 5 feral/community cats keep leaving dead, partially eaten ones our porch! They also do the same with mice and voles that weren't totally consumed. We lost a whole section of lawn last winter once snow had melted away, you see all pathways they had been using. They are quite the hunters. Sadly that they also now keep all the chukars away, we now have use binoculars to see them way up on the hillside.

[joshomaru]

Garter snakes will den up for winter with other garter snakes when they can. It is well documented when massive amounts (in the hundreds) emerge from one den at the same time when the spring temps hit the magic number. I bet those holes smell fiercely awful.
Garter snakes, as well as corn snakes, king snakes, and gopher snakes are incredible at pest control! One of the things that makes them so effective is their ability to get into the holes that mice, voles, rats, gophers, and ground squirrels create and make their way to the dens. They will eat the entire family. It's one thing when a predator controls pests by eating them one at a time; it's another when they delete the ability for a whole clutch to create more!
Snakes are rad!

[EyLayo]

Garter snakes will den up for winter with other garter snakes when they can.  It is well documented when massive amounts (in the hundreds) emerge from one den at the same time when the spring temps hit the magic number.  I bet those holes smell fiercely awful.
Garter snakes, as well as corn snakes, king snakes, and gopher snakes are incredible at pest control!  One of the things that makes them so effective is their ability to get into the holes that mice, voles, rats, gophers, and ground squirrels create and make their way to the dens.  They will eat the entire family.  It's one thing when a predator controls pests by eating them one at a time; it's another when they delete the ability for a whole clutch to create more!
Snakes are rad!

Interesting point you make. I, myself would much rather have a few snakes in the yard than a bunch of rodents running around my property