What kind of garter?

[yellowfoot23]

I found this garter in my backyard while mowing. The picture is a little fuzzy but I can't get the rest of them to upload. It has really pretty neon orange speckles along it's sides.http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/trsatrtr/garter1.jpg

[Stefan-A]

Looks like an eastern garter. Location?

[ssssnakeluvr]

either eastern or possibly red sided...but, location will help a lot!

[Mommy2many]

Welcome!

[infernalis]

The blur does not help, but it does look a lot like an eastern with some nice red tints.

very pretty snake BTW.

[yellowfoot23]

I live in Illinois. It is a really pretty snake. I let it go in some bushes near the back of my yard. I have seen it around that area several times over the past couple of weeks but I wasn't able to catch it or get close enough to take pictures. I have a couple more pictures but they don't show the color as well.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/trsatrtr/garter2.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/trsatrtr/garter3.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Possible T.s.parietalis?(Red sided garter snake) Love the broad dorsals and laterals.
I'm not very good at ID's unless it's a radix.:D

[BUSHSNAKE]

if its more southern ill that would be sirtalis sirtalis

[ssssnakeluvr]

i'd say parietalis from looking at the first pic! I have seen red sided with black bars crossing the side stripe near the head frequently

[yellowfoot23]

I live in between Springfield and St Louis. I guess that technically makes it more southern than central Illinois.
I saw it again today. It seems to have moved into my yellowfoot's pen. I found it coiled up next to my male yellowfoot. At least I think it was the same snake. It was the same size and same coloring. It will be interesting to see if it stays. I have lived here for 6 years and this is the first year I have seen any snakes.

[BUSHSNAKE]

its an eastern, red sided garters are not in illinois

[ConcinusMan]

sure looks like an eastern to me.

When you say you've lived there for 6 years and never saw any snakes, do you mean you've never seen any at the location where you found that snake, or do you mean you haven't seen any snakes in Illinois?

[yellowfoot23]

I haven't seen any near my house. I live next to a wooded lot that looks like it would be full of snakes, but I haven't found any.

[ConcinusMan]

Now that is strange. I asked because I was trying to speculate on why you haven't seen any. Garters just don't appear in an area after a 6 year absence without a reason. I would think if they have been around there the whole time, you would have seen one before now. Have any adjacent areas been developed recently? Sometimes the destruction of cover or feeding areas can force them into areas that they normally would avoid. I never had moles in my yard for many years. When they developed the last fragments of undeveloped land around my house, the moles suddenly appeared and started destroying my yard!

BTW, this time of year, you're more likely to find garters in an open grassy area than you are to find one in wooded areas.

[BUSHSNAKE]

YOU are strange Richard!

[ConcinusMan]

What, you don't think that's a little weird to not see a garter for six years and then all the sudden you do? I mean, it is weird. If they are there, it's kind of hard to NOT see one in 6 years.

[Jeff B]

It's definately a red-sided T. sirtalis parietalis