where,s best

[Mommy2many]

It appears to me that you guys out west are the lucky recipients of the most variations of the garter species. I may be wrong...

[ConcinusMan]

We could perhaps even have the most variation in a single species (or even the same population of that species). (T. ordinoides)

[Steven@HumboldtHerps]

I spend most of my time herping in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in NW California.

Concinnusman ain't joking about T. ordinoides variation. The Northwesterns in Northern Humboldt are really dull, whereas the ones in Del Norte County come in yellow stripe, white-stripe, orange-stripe, peach-stripe, red-stripe; with black, brown, gray, red, and burgundy backgrounds; with or without patterns or stripes; and with or without red or orange dorsal and/or ventral flecking. Many also mimic the patterns and colors of local T. elegans and T. a. hydrophilus. I hear you get blues further north...

Also, we have various morphs of the Mountain and Coast Garter clade (T. e. terrestris has been absorbed into the T. e. elegans sub-special clade, but at present, the Humboldt sample is still anomalous.)

Additionally, Northern Humboldt is in an intergrade zone between T. s. infernalis and T. s. fitchi.

Forty-five minutes inland, we have the Oregon Garter (T. a. hydrophilus.)

Other herps found throughout the many habitats of this bioregion include:

Northwestern Ring-necked Snake
California Kingsnake
California Mountain Kingsnake
Pacific Gopher Snake
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
Rubber Boa
Sharp-tailed Snake
Western Yellow-bellied Racer

Northwestern Fence Lizard
Northern Sagebrush Lizard
Oregon Alligator Lizard (ssp of E. multicarinata)
Shasta Alligator Lizard & Northwestern Alligator Lizard (ssp of E. coerulea)
Skilton Skink

You can go to HumboldtHerps.com (Natives) for the list on amphibians...

April and May are the hot months for sightings, but you can see kings, gophers, racers, and rattlers active into summer, especially near shaded watersheds during the day, and out and about in the morning and early evening. Oregon Garters are active all summer long. Valley Garters are summer-active only in the upper mountain lakes and ponds. Rubber Boas, Ring-necks, and Sharp-tails are best found in April and October.

[ConcinusMan]

I have spent time in N cali and also got to do a lot of herping. Where you are is no doubt an excellent area for all kinds of herps, including garters. One that really stands out in my memory is catching some huge and fugly T. elegans near some cold-running rivers. Man those things did not appreciate being grabbed one bit. A big one would almost always just bite the heck out of me, draw blood and the musk? OMG!

That's one garter (in those counties) that always produced a reaction when I got bit. I mean, they drool a lot and break the skin.

[guidofatherof5]

I spend most of my time herping in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in NW California.

Concinnusman ain't joking about T. ordinoides variation. The Northwesterns in Northern Humboldt are really dull, whereas the ones in Del Norte County come in yellow stripe, white-stripe, orange-stripe, peach-stripe, red-stripe; with black, brown, gray, red, and burgundy backgrounds; with or without patterns or stripes; and with or without red or orange dorsal and/or ventral flecking. Many also mimic the patterns and colors of local T. elegans and T. a. hydrophilus. I hear you get blues further north...

Also, we have various morphs of the Mountain and Coast Garter clade (T. e. terrestris has been absorbed into the T. e. elegans sub-special clade, but at present, the Humboldt sample is still anomalous.)

Additionally, Northern Humboldt is in an intergrade zone between T. s. infernalis and T. s. fitchi.

Forty-five minutes inland, we have the Oregon Garter (T. a. hydrophilus.)

Other herps found throughout the many habitats of this bioregion include:

Northwestern Ring-necked Snake
California Kingsnake
California Mountain Kingsnake
Pacific Gopher Snake
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
Rubber Boa
Sharp-tailed Snake
Western Yellow-bellied Racer

Northwestern Fence Lizard
Northern Sagebrush Lizard
Oregon Alligator Lizard (ssp of E. multicarinata)
Shasta Alligator Lizard & Northwestern Alligator Lizard (ssp of E. coerulea)
Skilton Skink

You can go to HumboldtHerps.com (Natives) for the list on amphibians...

April and May are the hot months for sightings, but you can see kings, gophers, racers, and rattlers active into summer, especially near shaded watersheds during the day, and out and about in the morning and early evening. Oregon Garters are active all summer long. Valley Garters are summer-active only in the upper mountain lakes and ponds. Rubber Boas, Ring-necks, and Sharp-tails are best found in April and October.

Great rundown. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
Great variety in your area.

[PINJOHN]

i echo steves thanks to all who took the time to list their local garters , to say it was very interesting is a massive understatement . but please dont forget to let us know about your herping adventures. for those of us in europe and even i suppose American enthusiasts who live in big citys these tales are the stuff of dreams, so any memorable trips or even ones you might be planning would be really appreciated

[ConcinusMan]

Well, I only have two garters where I live but the one sirtalis is t.s. concinnus so if you're only going to have one that is a wonderful one to have. Of course T. ordinoides can be found almost anywhere whereas concinnus are kind of limited to certain habitats near water or wetlands. The thing about the ordinoides though is one population is never the same as another, even if it's only say 5 miles apart. One area can have mostly dull boring one's and another area can be mostly brightly colored yellow, red, or orange striped. Kinda fun to go around to different areas and see all the variety of patterns and colors in this single species.

I only have to drive about 30 miles east through the columbia river gorge and you leave concinnus' range and start finding very pretty T.s. fitchii and if I drive about an hour north I run into blue pugets.

[kibakiba]

Ordinoides are never boring! They're all beautiful. Even Mama who's dull brown and cream, or Runt who's light brown and a bit darker cream... I cant say what Tiny is.. it's a newborn but... Ordinoides are all pretty. Pffft.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just that when you've seen them all your life, perhaps hundreds of thousands of them, you do notice that most are so... well... ordinary... while few others are just so extraordinary.

That's the thing with the species. So ordinary and yet so much potential for finding fantastic looking extraordiary individuals. Perhaps even "one of a kind" northwestern snakes out there. They are an underappreciated species for the most part. Great potential for finding and/or creating by captive breeding, some very interesting and unusual individuals.

Amazing looking or plain, they really do make awesome pets.

[kibakiba]

Indeed, I'm happy with mine. They've calmed down faster than my concinnus :P I got Tiny a week ago and it's already trying to slither on me at all times and never wants to go back in the tank. Runts always been skittish but maybe that's just how her personality is. Tiny and Ember are the tamest snakes I have, though Tiny is more tame than Ember. Rarely protest with getting picked up