Day 213: Who could resist getting up close and personal with that cute li'l smile? While I was down on my hands and knees conversing with Smiley, he kept tasting the air with his tongue, presumably trying to determine whether or not I was a predator. I assured him that I meant no harm, and after I'd captured his portrait, he allowed me to pass by without slithering off into the brush. Thamnophis sirtalis, our common Garter Snake, is harmless. They come with a variety of stripe colours (yellow, red, blue or even green) and can be as much as 3-4 feet long. Smiley had some bends and I couldn't quite see the tip of his tail, but I'd guess he was on the high end of that range, and if not the largest example I've ever seen, but definitely respectable in size. His diet consists of a variety of things, including slugs, snails, mice and worms, so garter snakes in your garden are a good thing. When the weather is warm, they may hide out beneath flower pots, under bits of wood or in other shady shelter, but since they are cold-blooded, they often seek out spots of sun in which to warm themselves for the day's activities.
