FINDING A SNAKE IN A HAY STACK, A LOT EASIER THAN FINDING A NEEDLE!
You would think by now that I would not be startled by a Garter snake,
but if you want to see an older gentleman move like he's 18 again,
and see him bolt from the blue
you should witness my reaction
when I unexpectedly run into
a limbless reptile with an extra long body.
This Garter snake is by far the largest one I've seen in this neck of the woods.
After the initial shock wore off and I realized exactly what I had seen, I played with the serpent, making sure not to hurt one of the gardener's best friends. The Garter snake is also called a Gardener snake. They earn that name by eating grasshoppers, slugs, grubs, and other insects. A large adult garter snake has been known to eat mice. I could see this fellow unhinge his jaw to consume a mouse. The size of this one leads me to believe he's eaten a few mice in his day.
As I uncovered the hay bails to use around the garden there he was, the date was May 24. Check out what I saw just a few weeks later.
Here is the skin from what I believe to be the same snake. Snakes shed their skin for several reasons, one being that they have outgrown their skin, which doesn't grow as the snake grows. Their skin can also become damaged as it slithers around. Shedding their skin also rids them of parasites and bacteria.
The underside of the snake is very different from the rest of his skin, appearing translucent.
Generally, snakes will shed their outer layer of skin a few times a year. I have seen this many times before, but not in such detail. Being that the shed is so fragile, often, you don't see the features of the snake's head. In this picture, the eyes, forehead, and the snake's jaw are clearly visible.