My first garter hunt

[Jeff B]

That one is definately brown snake. Are you in the range of the Butler's garter or short headed garter, that other one looks more like a Butlers than an eastern from what I have seen, shes really cool looking either way with the solid brown and lack of checkering.
Any Butler's garter experts out there?

[RdubSnider]

Looks like a Butler's to me as Well. Its small size for its thickness is another thing to point towards butlers since they typically stay much shorter than easterns. Females average is 18 to 24 inches. I'd say Butler's.

[Spankenstyne]

It does look like a Butler's, nice find. If it is a Butler's just a heads-up though, they're considered "threatened" and protected Canada-wide. I'd release it back where you found it.
The Dekay is a little beauty too.

[HazAnga]

It does look like a Butler's, nice find. If it is a Butler's just a heads-up though, they're considered "threatened" and protected Canada-wide. I'd release it back where you found it.
The Dekay is a little beauty too.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll be releasing both of them sometime this week, hopefully maybe tomorrow, I want to go later in the afternoon early evening when there out catching the last bit of heat for the day. I'm hoping to see more then, maybe some of the red one's my co-worker says he's been seeing.

[Selkielass]

It doesn't look like the Butlers we have in my area.
Most sites agree that the distinguishing feature for butlers, aside from size and the small head is their distinct triple striping. Their side stripes are distinct, and do not blend into the belly scales- they have dark scales below their side stripes *then* the green or brown or whatever color their belly scales are.

You may have a distinct local variation, but most of the sites I have read count the scales between the belly and side stripes.

http://herpcenter.ipfw.edu/Accounts/...sFactSheet.pdf