Garter Field Pics - summer 2009

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

Every once in a while I actually find the time to post some of my field pics on the forum. Here are some of the garters I discovered during this summer's wanderings...

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090505HCHSimage_GPS-DEMAR-THAMFIT-01_6_.JPG
Valley Garter (T. s. fitchi) Demartin/Wilson Creek area, Del Norte County
(May 5, 2009)

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090519HCHSimage-fitchi_X_infernalis-_GPS-ELKCMP-FITINF-01_01E.JPG
T. sirtalis (fitchi/infernalis intergrade zone) Elk Camp Prairie, Bald Hills,
Redwood National Park, Humboldt County (May 19, 2009)

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090615HCHSimage-T._e._elegans_GPS-COYOTE-ELEGANS-01_.JPG
Coast Garter (T. e. terrestris) terrestris and elegans intergrade zone] Bald Hills, RNP, Humboldt Co. (June 15, 2009)

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090618HCHSimage-Mountain_Garter_GPS-COYOTE-ELEGANS-03_.JPG
T. elegans (terrestris/elegans intergrade zone) Coyote Creek, Bald Hills, Redwood National Park, Humboldt County (June 18, 2009)

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090625HCHSimage-NW_Garter_GPS-LILBALD-THAMORD-01_4_.JPG
Northwestern Garter (T. ordinoides) [brown, near patternless variant] Little Bald Hills, RNSP, Del Norte County (June 25, 2009)

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090711HCHSimage-Oregon_Garter_GPS-DENNY-HYDRO-02_01B.JPG
Oregon Garter (T. a. hydrophilus)[spotted/striped variant] New River, Denny, Trinity County (July 11, 2009)

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090723HCHSimage-Valley_Garter_GPS-JEDBAR-THAMFIT-01_10_.JPG
Valley Garter (T. s. fitchi)[ecdysis] Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte County (July 23, 2009)

[guidofatherof5]

Great looking snakes and really nice photos.

[charles parenteau]

Awesome pictures !!!great find .

[jitami]

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090615HCHSimage-T._e._elegans_GPS-COYOTE-ELEGANS-01_.JPG


Love this snake! The little ordinoides, too! Did you keep either? I'd be curious to see how the ordinoides develops.

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

Love this snake! The little ordinoides, too! Did you keep either? I'd be curious to see how the ordinoides develops.

I do not currently have an ordinoides, and many of the pics I have taken are of specimens found throughout the Redwood National and State Park system, so there are no takes allowed.

I do hope to acquire some Northwesterns next spring; looking for the "red magentas."

Stay tuned; got more pics on the way.

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090720HCHSimage-Valley_Garter_lo-red_GPS-CRESCENT-THAMFIT-01_C_5_.JPG
Valley Garter (T. s. fitchi) Crescent Beach, RNSP, Del Norte County (July 20, 2009)

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090720HCHSimage-Valley_Garter_poss._Coast_GPS-CRESCENT-Thamfit-01_B_2_.JPG
T. s. fitchi / T. e. terrestris conundrum - Crescent Beach, RNSP, Del Norte County (July 20, 2009)

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090729HCHSimage-Oregon_Garter_feeding-WalkerRiverBar_RNSP_Del_Norte_County1A.JPG
Oregon Garter (T. a. hydrophilus) feeding - Walker River Bar, Smith River, RNSP, Del Norte County (July 29, 2009) This is the typical "checker-spot" variant you see in hydrophilus' northern range.
http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090729HCHSimage-Oregon_Garter_feeding-WalkerRiverBar_RNSP_Del_Norte_County1B.JPG
This guy completely ignored my camera... Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090815HCHSimage-Oregon_Garter-_MatthewsCreek_SW_Siskiyou_County_2A.JPG
Oregon Garter (T. a. hydrophilus)[spotted/striped variant] Matthew's Creek, So. Fk. Salmon River (SW Siskiyou County) (August 15, 2009)

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090816HCHSimage-Mountain_Garter_neonate_MatthewsCreek_SW_Siskiyou_ County_.JPG
Mountain Garter (T. e. elegans)[neonate] Matthew's Creek, So. Fk. Salmon River, SW Siskiyou County (August 16, 2009)

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090901HCHSimage-Valley_Garters-Crescent_Beach_Del_Norte_County.JPG
2 X Valley Garter (T. s. fitchi)[reduced reds and lateral red indentations] Crescent Beach, RNSP, Del Norte County (September 1, 2009)

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090918HCHSimage-Coast_Garter_neonate-Eureka_CA.JPG
Coast Garter (T. e. terrestris)[neonate] suburbia in Eureka, CA
September 18, 2009

[drache]

wow - thanks - great photos
I love seeing them in their habitat, and I so wish I could be there

[gregmonsta]

Fantastic stuff :D

[ssssnakeluvr]

http://www.humboldtherps.com/images/20090723HCHSimage-Valley_Garter_GPS-JEDBAR-THAMFIT-01_10_.JPG
Valley Garter (T. s. fitchi)[ecdysis] Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Del Norte County (July 23, 2009)
awesome pics! love this large fitchi!!!!!

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

awesome pics! love this large fitchi!!!!!

I believe she was quite gravid!

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

The only snake I kept was the Mountain neonate ("Blacky"). This little one is feeding on chorus frog metamorphs and trout filet. It apparently also ate a baby fence lizard kept with it during transport from the river (Will I ever learn?).

I am very excited that my elegans is taking trout so voraciously. Western terrestrials are known for taking very small rodents, lizards, snakes, and yes, they love the froggies too, but they are less known for going after fish. So, yes, I am excited to explore this opportunistic behavior further. This snake was found in the same habitat as many of the hydrophilus pics I post. I have never been able to feed my hydrophilus ("Lefty" - the one-eyed garter) anything other than fish and frogs.

[jitami]

I am very excited that my elegans is taking trout so voraciously. Western terrestrials are known for taking very small rodents, lizards, snakes, and yes, they love the froggies too, but they are less known for going after fish.

For what it's worth I fed my, then yearling, elegans exclusively rosey red feeder fish when I first got him. Back then they were thought to be safe. I switched him to pinkies with very little effort later that year, but he and my (wild caught as an adult) female will both still take live fish on occasion. They do prefer rodents, tho :)

[tminc]

Thanx for sharing,great pic's

[ConcinusMan]

Love this snake! The little ordinoides, too! Did you keep either? I'd be curious to see how the ordinoides develops.

In my experience, very young ones that have very faint stripes or patterns, end up as adults with no stripe or pattern at all! it fades away. My guess is that little guy doesn't have much longer to go before that hint of a stripe is completely gone.


I do not currently have an ordinoides, and many of the pics I have taken are of specimens found throughout the Redwood National and State Park system, so there are no takes allowed.

I do hope to acquire some Northwesterns next spring; looking for the "red magentas."

I might be able to help you out with that. Perhaps. Do you have a pic showing what you have in mind? I know just where to go, and when. I can literally fill buckets full of them at the right time and place, and you can take your pic of interesting colors and patterns! Not too unusual to find patternless, stripeless with a pattern, or even melanistic. Sometimes I find one that looks like a mini checkered garter (without the black neck however)

[ssssnakeluvr]

here's a pic of an ordinoides I would really like to have.......

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//504/medium/ery_nw.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Hmmm.... not out of the question. I'll be going out to collect a lot of them this coming spring, not necessarily to keep, but to show off to you guys with lots of photo's. I especially keep an eye out for one like that, melanistics, or anything really cool looking. If we get decent weather in March that would be the earliest I could do it though.

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

For what it's worth I fed my, then yearling, elegans exclusively rosey red feeder fish when I first got him. Back then they were thought to be safe. I switched him to pinkies with very little effort later that year, but he and my (wild caught as an adult) female will both still take live fish on occasion. They do prefer rodents, tho :)

My Mountain hasn't taken pinkies yet.

[ConcinusMan]

Not sure if this is appropriate, on topic, or not, but since we were just talking about ordinoides, I stumbled on this video I had saved on my computer. It's an ordinoides I am holding some years ago, and he had blue/blue-green appearance, mostly on the underside. Take a look: YouTube - I lick you! Can we be friends? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXxGyx1OIvU)