Just caught today

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, go to the right spots and there's literally hundreds of northwesterns slithering around on any sunny morning. Lots of different colors and patterns. If you find a place where they are that has boards or tin lying around, you can flip and find dozens of them. At least 90% of them are very small snakes, 6-18 inches.

Not only that, go just about any place near a permanent body of water and some amphibians and good habitat, and you'll find plenty of concinnus' around. Now those are much bigger of course and not as variable as the northwesterns. Not uncommon for me to take a walk by a creek and spot 3 footers. I guess I am kinda lucky. All I have to do is find appropriate habitat on a sunny morning and I'm guaranteed to find plenty of garter snakes.

Can't wait to see what I'm going to find near Ft. Lewis, WA next month.

I'll also be herping Sparks/Reno NV area near the end of this month, and Champoeg State Park (Oregon) in June. Plenty of rubber boas and alligator lizards at the park I hear.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah it's been hit and miss. I've been catching and trying them out periodically but it sure doesn't work out very often. When it does though, they turn out to be really charming snakes that eat with gusto. These two have decent body mass so I have a few weeks to get them eating. If they don't eat after about 3 weeks I'll take them back and release them where I found them.

[brain]

I was going to the wood shed for a piece of cedar and almost stepped on this girl







I'm thinkin gravid ... i haven't weighted her but the length os about 18-20 inches and about 3/4" around.
Shes calming down now and had abath along with a good drink of water.

[guidofatherof5]

Beautiful girl.

[kibakiba]

Wow, she's the perfect shade of blue. I'm in love!

[ConcinusMan]

Gorgeous Puget. Very nice! Awesome contrast and just little pinpoints of red. I like it!

And just for the benefit of other readers that might not be clued in, this is a Puget Sound Garter Snake. Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringi.

A subspecies of "common garter snake". This subspecies is native only to the Puget Sound region of WA State and coastal British Columbia, Canada.

Doesn't matter to me what color phase this subspecies comes as, they are all darn pretty snakes!

[katach]

Very pretty!

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, what she said. ^^^

[brain]

Yea, I was planning on a trip Anacortes this weekend around Lake Eire and Pass lake maybe do some kayaking and herping. However, she was “right at my back door to boot”. Sorry Steve I stole that
If she does not eat in a few days out, she goes back under the woodshed.
And yes very little red spots. At first I thought it was one of my other snakes, but nope. Made my day

[ConcinusMan]

A few days? C'mon Michael. You underestimate them. She could easily go a month. If you really want her, 4 weeks chance to eat isn't too long. It's up to you of course and there's always next year!

Made my day too. By far one of the best WC I've seen in weeks. Not to discredit some very fine northwesterns that have been posted lately, but I'm a sucker for certain T. sirtalis' and that's a darn fine one.

I've "been there, done that" on lots of very photogenic WC snakes. If all that happens is a few weeks in captivity, and lots of photos, then that is a gift in itself and good enough!

Thanks for the effort and sharing! I know what it takes and it is appreciated.