Half-emerged from a hole in the rocks along the Homewood Trail in Frick Park. If you see a snake like this in your yard, it is your friend. It is harmless to humans (unless you really mistreat it, in which case it may bite and leave you with a scratch that you probably deserved), and it eats small rodents and other things that you would otherwise be calling an exterminator to take care of.
The Eastern Garter Snake is really quite a beautiful animal. It looks as if a graphic designer came up with it, following instructions from upstairs that we needed something zippy and modern-looking. Garter snakes are harmless to humans, but they are very good at reducing the numbers of small pests. These two snakes were wrapped together on a stream bank in the Kane Woods Nature Area in Scott Township.
