Blue (eastern) garter snake

[stonyloam]

This is a photo of a wild eastern garter snake that I found last summer at my home in western NY, close to Rochester. It is a real beauty. I have seen hundreds of wild garters over the years, but never one like this.

[Cazador]

Terry,

That's what I'm talking about! I've never seen a captive one like that and wouldn't have guessed that's what you were talking about. What a snake! I'd love to see a hundred more pictures of it, but I realize you caught it years ago. Did you keep it, and was it at all aggressive when you caught it?

Rick

[Sid]

Wow that's an unusual color morph for a T. s sirtalis. Gorgous! thanks for sharing the photo.

Sid

[adamanteus]

Fantasic looking snake Terry. Have you kept it?

[Snaky]

Very nice one. Most be great to find it in the wild

[Thamnophis]

Those Eastern garter snakes are very variable. Beautiful animal.

[drache]

what a beautiful snake.
I love the blue morphs, and the patterning as well as the colour on this one is amazing!

btw - can anyone enlighten me, as to the difference between a Florida Blue and a Blue Stripe? I am not at home, where I can look at stuff more easily.

I just looked at Scott's sites. He used to separate them into two distinct subspecies and apparently now he doesn't. I thought one was T. sirtalis sirtalis florida and the other T.sirtalis similis.

[GarterGuy]

Hmmmm.....I'm wondering if that's not a Maritime garter (T.s.pallidulus) rather than an Eastern garter (T.s.sirtalis)????? The spotting on the body, lack of a mid-dorsal stripe and just the colour scheme really remind me of pics I've seen of other Maritimes. Either way, very pretty snake.
Roy

[stonyloam]

Thanks everyone! I am glad you liked the photo. As for the ID, I am certainly not an expert, but I believe that the eastern is by far the most common around here. I have added a couple of photos to my gallery that might help in the ID. Our (around our house) most common snakes are garter and eastern milk snakes (up to 3 1/2 feet). Had 3 baby milk snakes in the garage last fall, so I put them in the woodpile so hopefully they will winter over OK. I did not keep the blue one, it is probably better off in the wild. I saw it twice last year once at the edge of the yard near a swampy brushy area and the second time under the shrubbery next to the house porch. I am hoping it will be back this spring. It is raining today so there are only a few youngsters in the sunroom this morning, when it warms up I'll try to get some good photos to post.

[abcat1993]

Wow, that barely looks like a garter with those wild colors.