South Dakota Garter/Green Snakes

[allendale65]

I am new to this forum, and I don’t own a garter snake. I wanted to report….perhaps interesting, perhaps not….my experience with garter snakes and smooth green snakes where I live in north central South Dakota. Historically, I have only ever seen T. radix on our prairie. I have casually searched for T. sirtalis without luck.

This past fall, I noticed twice as many green snakes dead on the six-mile stretch of highway I jog, as compared to living or dead plains garters I’ve seen this year, combined. To backtrack, I reported the very first green snakes for my county about ten years ago. Since then, most years, I have seen two or three dead on the highway and have only seen a handful of living green snakes, in total.

The vast majority of my county is altered land, cropland. I see most garters in and around sloughs and pot holes. All of my green snake sightings have been within a five-mile radius of my small town.

I guess I haven’t a question or theory of my own, and I only wanted to throw out a bit of information to you all. I simply wonder what became of the garters this past year.

[Stefan-A]

It's a very interesting observation. You wouldn't by any chance have any pictures or perhaps a more detailed description?

[ConcinnusMan]

There are a lot of factors or combined factors that can cause a population to crash, and it seems in the case of green snakes, there's a lot of factors that can also cause the population to surge. I can't really speculate with so little information.

[guidofatherof5]

Welcome to the forum from Iowa
Those radixes you have are a very hearty group considering the Winters you have.
Are you thinking about keeping garters in the future?

[gregmonsta]

Greetings

[allendale65]

Thank you to those who have welcomed me. I have enjoyed looking through this forum and seeing images of your snakes….with color patterns I hadn’t known to exist.

I should clarify that I am merely a civilian who noticed a major change in the population of the plains garter snakes and the smooth green snakes on my jogging route this year. I’ve not done a scientific study, nor am I qualified to do one; it is simply a casual observation.

I noticed that the green snakes began moving (I do not know if they den communally) in early September and continued moving for the entire month. Plains garter snakes began moving the last two weeks in September and the first two weeks in October (our fall was pretty warm). When I do see live snakes on my jogging route in autumn, they seem to be headed in the direction towards higher ground. When I was younger, I would find garters emerging from dens in spring. We sometimes have six months of snow, here, and the record low temperature probably is -40 or -45 degrees F.

Perhaps one day I will own a garter snake. Chances are, it will be one who has barely survived an encounter with a truck on the highway. For two years, I have taken care of a smooth green snake which I found bloodied and barely alive on the highway. “Harry” was quick to eat and has improved greatly. His claim to fame is that he once spent 23 days loose in my house.

[guidofatherof5]

I'm sure the forum members would love to see a photo or 2 or 3 of Harry.
Maybe even more of Harry's story would be great also.

[ConcinnusMan]

It sounds like you're simply witnessing their seasonal migration from their winter shelter, to their summer feeding grounds. The famous "Snake Road" in Illinois is home to such a migration: Why did the snake cross the road

I also witness such a migration near where I live. Fortunate for the snakes, they don't have to cross a road to do it.

[allendale65]

Here, please meet the aforementioned “Harry”. Two years ago, Harry was found on the side of the highway, his side split open nearly two inches in length. I can’t imagine that he had been directly run over, but just grazed. I carried him home, used a bit of tape, a bit of borrowed surgical glue, and placed him in the terrarium. How he survived remains a mystery to me.

He acquired his name after his Houdini-like escape from what I thought was his fail-safe home. He is a big fan of waxworms, slugs, earthworms, and the occasional spider I steel myself to capture. For me, he is less a pet than an object of beauty….emerald green like nothing I’ve ever seen.

When I was in ten, I was enamored with a book called Slim Green about a smooth green snake. For years and years I hoped to find one…..not really knowing that they weren’t reported for my county. Twenty-five years later, I was fortunate enough to find the first one. Realizing even the smallest of dreams, many years past, is a good thing.

[ConcinnusMan]

He's awesome. I loved that book too. Must have checked it out from the school library a dozen times.