Why Snakes Are Good For Your Garden
Garter snakes are a gardener’s friend! Harmless to humans, they eat the pests that wreak havoc in your garden. Learn more about the shy but helpful gardening helper who just wants to live peacefully in harmony with you—and eat your slugs!
I found a snake skin in my garden a few weeks ago. While other people might have been freaked out, it made me happy to know that snakes find my yard a good place to call home. The garter snake is the snake species that North American gardeners will most often encounter—and we should be thankful!
Of course, I am lucky that there are no venomous snakes in my area. Unlike other parts of the country, we have just one type of venomous snake in New Hampshire—the timber rattlesnake—and it is not found anywhere near where I live. In fact, they are so rare that the NH Fish & Game Department has implanted radio tracking devices in the ones that they have caught to keep an eye on their movements. I kind of wish we did have some; they’re known to eat tick-infested mice!
About Garter Snakes
There are many types of garter snakes found all across North America, from Mexico to Canada. They have a variety patterns and markings, and can be brown, tan, olive, or black with yellow, red, orange, or even blue stripes down their sides and backs. Some are all black. They can grow to be over 4 feet long, but most adults reach only 2–3 feet in length.
- Often called “gardener snakes,” they earn that name by eating grasshoppers, slugs, grubs, and other insects. A large adult garter snake may even eat mice. (Unfortunately, they also eat some critters such as frogs, toads, salamanders, and earthworms.) To eat large prey, they unhinge their jaw from their skull. Back-curving teeth keep the prey from escaping.
- Since they grow throughout their lifetime, snakes need to shed their skin when it gets too small. To do this, they rub their head on something rough to hook the skin near their lips and as they crawl out of it, the skin is turned inside out.
Even the scales covering a snake’s eyes are shed.
- Garter snakes won’t bite you unless provoked. They won’t chase you. They are really very shy and are not looking for a fight!
- Garter snakes do produce a very weak venom, but the venom is so mild that it rarely has any effect on humans (it can cause light swelling in those who are allergic, however). The snake uses its venom to subdue larger prey items, like frogs and mice.
- Active year-round in the south, in the northern half of North America they hibernate below the frostline in the winter, congregating in large numbers in burrows and crevices to keep warm during the cold months. In the spring, they emerge and mate.
- Females only breed every 2 to 3 years. They bear live young in the late summer, usually having between 4 and 20 babies, though some can bear up to 85!
- It takes 2 years for garter snakes to reach maturity and they can live to be 10 years old in the wild.
I never expected to see this fine fellow draped among the hostas. Hopefully he had been feasting on slugs.
Garter Snakes in the Garden
I see them most often in the spring out sunning themselves on large flat rocks. Since they are cold-blooded, they need the sun’s warmth to help them digest their food. In the summer, I hear them slithering beneath the landscape fabric and black plastic that we use for mulch in some of the garden beds.
When I’m picking cucumbers or squash, they will swiftly slip out of the way—and it can be startling—but I am happy to have them, especially if they are eating the cucumber beetles, slugs, and squash bugs.
This guy must have spent the winter in the greenhouse. We came eye-to-eye as I was rummaging around under the bench for pots this spring. I was more alarmed than he was. He stayed put long enough for me to run and get my camera and even posed for a close-up.
A Word of Warning
Garter snakes are relatively harmless, beneficial predators of rodents and insect pests. However, do not pick it up. Alarmed, it may give you a little nip (harmless but still a bite).
Learn to identify snake species as well. There are venomous species that can be dangerous if provoked or startled. Pit vipers such as water moccasins and rattlesnakes have thick bodies, narrow necks, and wide triangular heads, while non-venomous snakes tend to have heads that are barely bigger than their necks. If you are unsure what venomous snakes are located in your state, check out this list of venomous snakes by state.
Do you have snakes in your garden? Do you find them beneficial or harmful? Please comment below!
Do you have snakes in the house? Readers share their stories here.
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These common reptiles do some interesting things. In some populations males emit female pheremones. Males competing for mates expend their efforts on these tricky guys and then the female pheremone emitters "get lucky" more often with the females and conserve their genes more.
I usually tend to have one as a study-specimen. Usually individuals doing something so stupid they're probably going to be crow-food or road-kill pretty soon. They're active, always interested in what you're doing ( the current specimen is fascinated whenever I dump water in the toilet---he resides in an aquarium on the top of the toilet tank ).
As study-specimens they're easy to keep healthy if treated right. I don't handle captive reptiles any more than necessary. I look at 'em like keeping a fish that doesn't require a heavy leak-prone tank full of water. Something to study and enjoy esthetically. Where I live if there were any snakes to turn up they'd immediately be slaughtered by someone who is an obligate ophidiophobe so I don't get to see them wandering around in my yard. If I want to see any I have to keep captive specimens which is allowed in my state. Up to 3 specimens of non-protected/non-game/non-dangerous wildlife per conservation #.
I like snakes. Anyone who has no arms, legs and precious few friends but gets up every morning and goes out to "beat the world" has my vote. And yes, they do eat rodents. Mine just ate the legs and tail from a small rat I had to buy for my vendor-bought Nelson's milk snake ( it was still too big for her ) because my local pet store can't be bothered to keep frozen mice in-stock. The 25" garter snake ate the legs and the tail ( cut up in sections ) and seemed very happy to have had them.
It takes food from my fingers at the pulled-open corner of the top of the enclosure and almost always has to bite a finger once-or-twice just to make sure it's not missing some live prey. Yes, it's drawn blood. Not much, but some. I've never experienced any envenomation symptoms from the slightly-venomous saliva which is, as I understand it, rich in a common neurotransmitter which would already be something to which your body constantly exposes you---or that's what I read somewhere. Of course if enough of that gets into wounds in a small animal the balance in it's nervous system could be upset so it may struggle less violently with less chance of injury to the snake predating the small prey or less chance of it staging an escape.
They may also be poisonous ( they eat amphibian prey which may exude toxins from skin glands and these can be present in the flesh of their predators ). So if you're an obligate ophidiophobe and hoe some poor garter snake to death in your garden don't get all "ethical-hunter" and decide to eat what you kill. You might get the same sort of nasty surprise your dog got when you weren't keeping it on the leash when it ate that toad before you could catch up to it and stop it.
The worst thing garter snakes will generally do to you if handled in a state of agitation is to deposit some really malodorous musk on your hands. Unless you're a highly unusual individual you're probably not going to enjoy that very much. Depending on the individual you'll also probably get some minor lacerations from defensive bites though in some cases I've picked up individuals to take a closer look and had them act as-if they'd been captive-raised and were used to being handled. Like anyone else there are individual temperaments. But if you have a child fascinated with snakes they should be warned that if they catch a garter snake the're probably going to be bitten. An "exciting" experience if one is not used to it. Also one calling for the tetanus vaccinations to be up-to-date.
I brake4snakes.
Very carefully, I read this article and made sure as I scrolled down to read it, I kept a piece of heavy paper on the screen to prevent from eyeing a picture. I'm so terrified of snakes, any kind of snake, even the garter, that I can't look at one for fear of having a nightmare about snakes. I just can't tolerate them. We used to find one every once in a while around our property, but I buy Snake Away at the local Lowes store to keep them away (as much as that works). I've not seen one in years, thank the good Lord!! I don't garden every year and when I do, I make sure I sprinkle plenty of Snake Away around my gardens before it becomes warm enough for them to be above ground. Everyone always says garters are "more afraid of you than you are of them". I don't believe that's true!! But thankfully I don't run into them...I'd scream bloody murder if I do. :c)
Robin: I'm sorry and I knew I will face my maker when asked about this but I kill snakes as I have high anxiety and very terrified of snakes. I have lots of gardens and have not seen one this year which I am grateful for. I realize I will have to account for my actions as I also ask a neighbour to come and deal with them. I am 69 on Saturday and cannot get past their slithering and actions - I scream every time. God Bless and thanks for listening.
We use to have quit a few around here until I got guinea hens and let them free range. That pretty much ended my snake population. Now that the guineas are gone the snakes are coming back. We like to have them around. To bad they don't eat all the doggone mosquitos, man they are terrible this year.
I have had at least one garter snake as long as I have been living here in Mi. About 6 years now.
Now I have two large ones and two babies as far as I can tell. That is all I see.
They sun themselves on top of my hedges that is right next to my backyard deck. I go out every morning
and talk to them. I do not try and pick them up. But they are not afraid of me. They are getting used to
me I think coming to visit them. We have mice so I am hoping they eat all of them. I love having them here.
I hope they stay. I don't bother them just say hi once a day. My family thinks I am nuts. I was wondering if they mate on snake for life? maybe they are boy and girl?
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