Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Thamnophis sirtalis : An unexpected visitor


A bit after 10 P.M. last night I took Biscuit out for some fresh air. On returning, as I was coming up the front steps, a familiar but unexpected color pattern caught my eye: there was a young garter snake resting in the topmost branches of the winter jasmine.  The only light came from the porch light, and in retrospect I wonder how in the world I even noticed this. The snake seemed unperturbed by my presence.

It was still there this morning when I checked at about 6:30 A.M. When I checked again at about 8:30 A.M. it was there, but it had changed position and was beginning to move. The temperature then was 55 degrees F., and it was beginning to rain. I watched it slowly slip down into the jasmine bush and disappear.

High temperatures today are expected to be near 80 degrees F., so it's still snake season.

The image above was taken last night with a flash.

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