Garden Snakes
Finding hiding places is part of snakes’ nature, they are pretty solitary creatures that do not harm anyone unless they feel threatened. For instance, many people know there could be snakes in their gardens, but haven’t seen any. If you take gardening as a hobby it is possible to find the skins they leave behind, otherwise they are so camouflaged in the background and avoid human proximity that chances to see them are pretty rare. Dull colors like tans, khaki yellow or green are the basic colors of garden snakes, both humans and large animals like pets will scare them. The only issue is when the garden snakes are venomous, then the risk of getting bitten is higher, and most often, professional assistance is necessary to capture and relocate them in a wild habitat.
The most common garden snakes species is the Gartner snake, and it is found mainly in the Americas regardless of the climate specificity. Yards, fields, forests and ponds are part of its favorite homes, which is why a garden makes a perfect location for such snakes. They can be recognized by three yellow horizontal stripes along the body; they are small-sized and slender, living on fish, frogs and earthworms. Predators like hawks, owls and raccoons hunt garden snakes in their turn as part of the food chain. Do not touch such garden snakes, although they are not venomous, they bite in defense.
In North America Gartner or garden snakes hibernate in large groups, and people who know about this habit of the species chooses this time of the year to collect specimens as pets. In certain parts of the continent a decrease in the garden snakes number has been signaled, not only because of pet collection but also because of an imbalance in the habitat caused by pollution in aquatic areas. Concerning the variety of subspecies identified as garden snakes, gardening guides often present incomplete data. Even taxonomists do not always share the same opinion about the risk or safety of these snakes in human proximity.
Repellents are a solution for one who insists on keeping garden snakes away from the indoors space. The risk exists when you live in an area where both poisonous and non-poisonous snakes live and a distinction between the species is pretty difficult if not impossible to make. Even so, the attempt of limiting the snakes’ presence in the garden is not 100% successful since garden snakes have the possibility to hide and camouflage very well. Most experts advise that you leave them alone unless bother you or your family on a very frequent basis.
