Wildlife Wednesday: Eastern Garter Snake

The Eastern Garter Snake is on average 18 – 26 inches long and an identifying feature is its head. The head will be wider than the neck on the Eastern Garter Snake. Down the length of the body of a Garter Snake there will be three light colored lines. The lines along the body can be yellow, white, green, or brown. One line goes down the back and then one line on either side of the body. The body can be brown, black or olive-green. The belly is usually the same color of the stripes going down it’s back and sides.

On average the Eastern Garter Snake lives two years in the wild, where a captive one can live on average 6 -10 years. The Eastern Garter Snake lives in a variety of habitats including but not limited to marshes, prairies, forest, people’s backyards – including burn piles. We tend to see Eastern Garter Snakes near water or in damp areas since this tends to be home of more prey. Some prey that they like include earthworms, frogs, insects, small fish, and more. Next time you’re out on the trails stop for a minute and you may see an Eastern Garter Snake basking in the sunlight.