What kind of garter?

[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