April 6, 2008 - Garter Snake

Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

One of the most common snakes in Pennsylvania is the Eastern Garter Snake. Long yellowish stripes against a dark background make this harmless snake easy to identify. It is also one of the first snakes to appear in the spring. Garter Snakes leave their hibernation spots and venture out to warm themselves in the spring sun. Because of their small size and dark color, these reptiles warm quickly. Once their body temperature is up they spend the day searching for food.  Earthworms, crickets and grasshoppers, salamanders, toads and frogs are favorites. Because nights this time of year are cool, Garter Snakes return to underground dens to avoid the lowest temperatures of the day. These long, slim snakes are the last to go into hibernation each fall and the first to come out each spring.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.