Albino butlers found.Going to a museum eventually.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, looks like a perfectly normal T. radix. Often times, local natural selection can cause two different species to develop similar characteristics, (convergent micro evolution) even if they aren't hybridizing or genetically the same. I see evidence of this in the south end of the Puget Sound near Olympia, WA. Puget sound garters in that area are very blue. Many northwestern garters in the area are also intense blue, even though no hybridizing is going on.

It's therefore not surprising at all that the butlers and radixes in your area may share similar color/pattern.

[guidofatherof5]

I'd love a head scale count. Any chance of getting a good close up showing the scales of the upper and lower lip areas.

The supralabial count on that snake is 8. T.radix (Plains Garter) is usually 8 or 9. T.butleri (Butler's Garter) is 7 or 6
Sorry about asking for so many photos. Love seeing any radixes.

[Carl Koch]

No problem, I'll take some close-ups tomorrow!

[guidofatherof5]

No problem, I'll take some close-ups tomorrow!

Great. Thanks.

[kibakiba]

That head is tiny, it makes him look cuter...

[ConcinusMan]

The supralabial count on that snake is 8. T.radix (Plains Garter) is usually 8 or 9. T.butleri (Butler's Garter) is 7 or 6

That's what they say about T. sirtalis vs. T. ordinoides in WA too, but I constantly find that the scale counts don't follow the rules.

[RedSidedSPR]

That's a really cool looking radix Carl!

[Selkielass]

Beautiful animal. I wish I could arrange for some of my girls to visit him one spring.

Butlers are easy keepers, and adapt readily to high stimulus environments. Our local (Michigan) strain thrives in schools and nature centers. They 'freeze' when suspicious so they make great display snakes if given twigs to sun on, and they hold tight to fingers when handled, so they seldom bolt out of inexperienced hands to injure themselves or get lost.

The thrashing response you read about is a great way for a snake sunning in brush to disappear if surprised by a predator, but they give it up almost as quickly as they give up musking- in the case of those I've handled usually shortly after they start feeding while a human is nearby.

[EasternGirl]

That actually looks exactly like Cee Cee. Do we have radixes in Delaware? What is the supralabial count on an eastern? I need to go count Cee Cee's scales.

[guidofatherof5]

Do we have radixes in Delaware? What is the supralabial count on an eastern? I need to go count Cee Cee's scales.

Only the ones I'll be sending you.
Page 236.


Supralabials usually 7.
Dorsal scales in a maximum of 19 rows. Page 260

You have "The Book" now, right? I thought you got it for Christmas.
Referring to The Garter Snakes-Evolution and Ecology by Rossman, Ford and Seigel