How many are there?

[RedSidedSPR]

There's really no Great Plain, or Eastern Plains. Like I said just a Plains, Thamnophis radix.

[guidofatherof5]

There's really no Great Plain, or Eastern Plains. Like I said just a Plains, Thamnophis radix.

Exactly.

[Kantar]

Calling them an Eastern Plains is messing with my head.

but everyone around here calls them that

[guidofatherof5]

but everyone around here calls them that

Must be a local colloquialism.
I've never heard it before. but I live a shealtered life.

[RedSidedSPR]

but everyone around here calls them that

People call garter snakes "garden snakes", doesn't make it right. Steves right, it's probably just a local thing.

[Kantar]

just trying to get less confused here.

So what is the difference between a Thamnophis Sirtalis and a Thamnophis Sirtalis-Sirtalis?

Garters with subspecies always have the 2nd name twice? I'd just like to know the difference

Google images don't help because if I search Plains garter sname and eastern garter snake they come up with the same images. Is there some sort of difference I'm not noticing?

I tried googling Thamnophis Marcianus Albino and every 2nd or 3rd result comes up with Thamnophis Marcianus Marcianus

How can you tell the difference between the garters and all their subspecies if there is very little to distinguish between them?

[RedSidedSPR]

just trying to get less confused here.

So what is the difference between a Thamnophis Sirtalis and a Thamnophis Sirtalis-Sirtalis?

Garters with subspecies always have the 2nd name twice? I'd just like to know the difference

Google images don't help because if I search Plains garter sname and eastern garter snake they come up with the same images. Is there some sort of difference I'm not noticing?

I tried googling Thamnophis Marcianus Albino and every 2nd or 3rd result comes up with Thamnophis Marcianus Marcianus

How can you tell the difference between the garters and all their subspecies if there is very little to distinguish between them?

Sirtalis is "common garter snakes". Thamnophis sirtalis concinnus (red spot) thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (redsided) and all others with sirtalis are all sirtlalis. Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (eastern) is a sirtalis like the rest.

I know. I can't explain it well...

The ones without sirtlalis, like thamnophis Radix, I don't think ever double like t. radix radix. (doesn't exist btw)

T.s. Means thamnophis sirtlalis. So you could write T.s parietlalis for redsided. T.Radix. (without "s.") for plains. It's more like the word thamnophis than the actuall subspecies. It's still a parietalis, but it's a sirtalis , just like it's a tjnophis...

Here's all the sirtalis subspecies. Out of 70 these are thamnophis sirtalis.

T. s. sirtalis (Linnaeus, 1758) – Eastern Garter Snake
T. s. parietalis Say, 1823 – Red-sided Garter Snake (has also been introduced to northern Halland in Sweden)
T. s. infernalis Blainville, 1835 – California Red-sided Garter Snake
T. s. concinnus Hallowell, 1852 – Red-spotted Garter Snake
T. s. dorsalis Baird & Girard, 1853 – New Mexico Garter Snake
T. s. pickeringii Baird and Girard, 1853 – Puget Sound Garter Snake
T. s. tetrataenia Cope, 1875 – San Francisco Garter Snake (endangered)
T. s. semifasciatus Cope, 1892 – Chicago Garter Snake
T. s. pallidulus Allen, 1899 – Maritime Garter Snake
T. s. annectens Brown, 1950 – Texas Garter Snake
T. s. fitchi Fox, 1951 – Valley Garter Snake
T. s. similis Rossman, 1965 – Blue-striped Garter Snake
T. s. lowei Tanner, 1988[2]

[guidofatherof5]

I was able to find this section of Wikipedia on the Plains Garter snake.
According to this article T.radix radix was once called "Eastern Plains Garter Snake"
Plains Garter Snake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It looks like "Easter Plains Garter Snake" is more than just a local colloquialism
It still messes with my head when I hear it.

Subspecies
Formerly two subspecies of the Plains Garter Snake were widely recognized, however, most authorities have since dropped subspecies recognition. The first, Thamnophis radix radix, was commonly referred to as the Eastern plains garter snake, while Thamnophis radix haydeni (Kennicott 1860) was considered the Western subspecies. However, the distinction between the two is weak, partly based on the number of scales and partly on slight coloration differences, with the T. r. haydeni said to have cleaner markings and more ventral and neck scales. As the two subspecies share the same habitat in many regions of the United States, further complicated by their strikingly similar appearance, many now do not recognize the two subspecies.

[Kantar]

So I probably do have possibly 2 Thamnophis R. Radix (serpent & Slider), its just very hard to tell, those 2 just look so much different from the other ones I have. I wish telling apart snakes were as easy as reading sheet music, their designs are so close but still very different to me

[RedSidedSPR]

It's easier than sheet music. I can't even do that.

And no. You have possibly 2 thamnophis radix.