Needle in a Haystack!

[MasSalvaje]

In all the years of lifting rocks and finding all sorts of critters I have never found a snake at my mom's house of 21 years. When I was young I would look everywhere trying to find a snake, I even made setups for them that I thought would help attract them, but never with any luck. I chalked it up to the huge cat population in the neighborhood and gave up all hope of ever finding one. That is until my wife and I moved in with my mom after my dad passed away unexpectedly last year.

Early this spring my wife was walking from the patio to the front of the house along a large Ivy bed. A few minutes later she came running into the basement to tell me that she had seen a snake. My first response was to check my own snakes to see which one was missing. After I had taken inventory I started to doubt that she had seen anything. A few weeks later we found a shed in the flower garden. I was amazingly excited until I saw the task that lay before me.



This was going to be even more impossible than finding a needle in a haystack, at least in that scenario the needle doesn't move!

Weeks and months passed with no sign of anything, until I came home one day to hear my mom tell me she saw a snake in the Ivy. I again got my hopes up and thought for sure I would see it now. My determination grew the following Sunday when my brother-in-law also saw it and called for me. By the time I got out it had slithered back into its labyrinth of Ivy. I was disappointed to say the least but did not give up hope. I gave up using the front door and only used the Ivy path to increase my chances. Whenever I would read I did it out in a camping chair out on the Ivy path. But it was not meant to be.

More time passed and a few others mentioned that they had seen the snake, including the AC repair guy who wasn't there for more than an hour! I was done, I cut back the use of the path and went back to reading inside, all hope was about gone.

This morning I found out I had some overtime at work so they let me leave early. I bypassed going home to catch up on my sleep, instead I headed up the canyon near my home to see if I could find any activity in the early sun after some late rain we had yesterday. After an hour of nothing I decided to head home.

As I pulled into the driveway and made my way down the Ivy walkway to the patio I heard a little noise at my feet. I paused but my first reaction was to not disappoint myself by looking expecting a snake and only find a grasshopper. So I just casually glanced down expecting to see a grasshopper jump off of a leaf. To my pleasant surprise I saw the animal I had spent searching for, not only for the past couple of months, but for the past 20 years! I had done it, I found a snake in my yard! It was a beautiful male Thamnophis elagans vagrans, the Wandering Garter Snake!






I had finally fulfilled my childhood dream of finding a snake in my very own yard! I still can't believe it!

-Thomas

[guidofatherof5]

Beautiful snake. Worth the wait? I think so.

[bkhuff1s]

that's a great story lol

[jamromhem]

Great story and congrats on the find/achievement

[jitami]

Awesome Thomas! Congrats!

[gregmonsta]

Well done .... especially on persevering

[sirtalis01]

awesom story...it was all worth the wait right......so now what? its like a book i just wana keep reading lol..

[MasSalvaje]

Now? I am hoping the next chapter will go something like this.....

After the release of the lone male back into the Ivy I start hearing reports of an even larger Garter. I, and even more so the little male, am hoping for a female. They finally hook up, yes I mean that literally, and then I start seeing little ones all over the yard.

I think I found the brumation spot for the little guy. I will get pics up and let you comment on whether it is sutible or not.

-Thomas

[drache]

it's an epic

[ssssnakeluvr]

very cool!!!