Eastern Garter Snake

Here's an Eastern Garter Snake I met last March. March is a funny time of year in that some of the days can be pretty cold while other days can get fairly warm. This was the 1st snake picture I got this year. Given our snakes brumate over the winter, they're probably pretty eager to take advantage of warm days to get out there and forage. (Unfortunately I didn't think to bring a salamander for it to eat.) My recollection is that this guy was basking on the paved path until I came along and (as usual) terrified it into slithering into branches and leaf litter.

March 22, 2023 at the Raritan River Greenway
Photo 269153773, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

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