TillyKat caught this snake yesterday, we found her rolling on it!
A good sized garter snake a couple of feet long.
I had put the snake on the compost pile hoping it was just playing 'possum. It was. S/he warmed up and started to move around.
Tilly tried to chase the snake again when it moved onto the ground, so the snake was moved out to the brush pile at the end of the yard.
'Tis the season for snakes, again.
Cool! Send her to me; she can dine on whatever little critter ate the flower buds off some of my crocuses! lol.
Joanne
Wish it was in my yard. I've NEVER seen a snake in mine in 39 years. They must be around, but likely in the more wooded areas nearby. Joanne - I've got some of those critters too. Most recently they just cut a bud off a daffodil and left it.
Saw my first garter snake yesterday .... the 30C weather must have woke him up!
Sandy
saw my first garter snake yesterday too.
Me too!! Not my favourite thing!!! This was a different garter snake than I have ever seen. It had copper and tan stripes. Hubby looked it up and it is called a sharp tailed garter snake. Apparently they dine on small slugs!
I DO NOT LIKE SNAKES!!!
I like slugs even less than I like snakes, so I'll take the snake, lol.
I think it's the gut level effect snakes, toads and frogs have when they move when you're not expecting the encounter that startles me.
I've become quite fond of my resident toads, frogs and yes, even the snakes.
Last summer, in addition to various sizes of plain garter snakes, the yard was visited by a couple of eastern milk snakes. wonder if I will see them again this year.....
Someone posted a fantastic pic of a garter snake over on Hallson's -
http://www.perennialnursery.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=51068
Have a look. If you have to sign in, join up. It doesn't cost anything, but you may not need to unless you want to post.
Ann
violaann you live in the wrong part of ottawa then since last summer my place was swarming with them up to four feet long one was sunning again the garage door and when I opened the door it hissed at me hahahahah good thing I am not afraid of snakes but DH is terrified of them its funny the girls always laugh at him since he goes running into the house and tell me to deal with the thing hahahah I think its because I have a lot of shade and rocks
Mona - I'm a 5 minute walk from the Rockliffe Parkway and I suspect most of the snakes stay out of the suburbs and in the wooded areas along the Parkway or the Eastern Greenbelt, also very close to me.
I am at the corner or parkway and nashdale for sure they are here, I like the fact that they eat the mole and field mice which is a great help now if I could teach them to eat all the frogs that end up in my pool that would be nice to hahahahhah
how is your garden growing mine is going nuts can almost see the plants growing and the rain last night really helped
Well, I know what the critter is. A black squirrel has started hanging out in our yard; saw him hanging upside down to get at a netted bell of sunflower seeds. I'll bet he nipped the crocuses - have had them do that at another place I lived.
Black squirrels aren't very common in my neighborhood - we live on the western edge of the city - but I guess they're making their way here. LOL.
Joanne
they are a royal pain I only have a problem with them in the winter they go for the bird seed as soon as I stop putting it out it takes a couple of weeks and they move on to find food which is fine with me lol and the dog will not let them hang around he chases them out of the yard so I have not seen one in a couple of weeks
We used to have ONLY black squirrels. But now grey and red ones have moved in too. Altogether too many squirrels. I'm losing too many tulip buds - nipped and left. I wouldn't mind so much if they'd actually eat them.
rona has live cage traps not to expensive you could trap and release out in the countryside but not near my house ok I allready have enough of my own hahhahah
I took pictures today of the carnage they've made of my tulips. But haven't yet had time to download them.
yup need one of those traps at your house
this was the first one found two more much large in the last week, DH is scared of snakes so the last one he heard a hiss and he called me over would not move till I found it and took it away lol the girls loved it played with it for a while then we let it go into the woods
I love the gardener's hands. A bit of nail polish but lots of dirt! LOL
PS Still wish I had some snakes around here.
Cool little snake! My DH doesn't like them either. LOL.
Joanne
ann do you want me to collect a few for you and you can let them loose in your garden??
that is a neat little snake, haven't seen one like that around here.
which snake is that?
Mona - I'm not so sure they'd be happy away from where they grew up. I suspect the snakes around here must be over by the river in the wooded areas because there MUST be some but I've never once in 39 years seen one in my yard.
that one is called a ringneck when its a little bigger it get a thin orange ring around its neck the same color as the underbelly
the other two I found had white belly with dark gray and black markings very snakes they dont bite even the large one I picked up about three feet long lol DH almost pooped his pants when I came around the corner of the house with it in my hands, the girls just wanted to hold it hahahahah I am raising outdoor kids that love reptiles and bugs
nice little snake those ringnecks.
We've had the usual garter snakes, and last summer we had a couple of eastern milk snakes. They are another pretty snake.
I have to start taking pics of all of the ones I find since I know that I have at least five different ones on the property unless they change colors lol, I saw one last year over four feet long looked to be all black very shiny and it just lifted half its body up in the air when I spooked it then started to move sideways away from me still up like that it kinda scared me since it was so big, last summer was my fist at this property and it seemed that in July I was seeing two or three everyday as things dried out in the woods they came up close to the house making my dog go nuts since he can hear them.
scicciarella, I wonder what that black, shiny one was? The only ones I've seen on our property so far are the garter snakes and the milk snakes. This is a pic I took 2 yrs ago of an Eastern Milk Snake. Generally, snakes startle me, but they are such good, beneficial creatures to the garden that they are most assuredly welcome here.
Sandy
these are the ones that I have seen
red sided garter snake
northern ribbon snake
redbelly snake
black rat snake
and one that looks like blue racer but I am told they only live on peele island but I am sure that is what I saw since it had white lips, I will take pics of all the ones I catch or see this year last year I had so many it was nuts sometimes three or four per day in july and august lol it was like we got invaded I am sure they will be back my neighbour says my property is well know for lots of snakes since I have water that accumulated at the bottom in the woods sometimes it looks like a small lake since the ditch drains all the water in the area into the bottom woods lol city wont fix the problem so I will have snake again this year thats ok DH is terrified of them but me and the girls love them hahahah
