This afternoon a Santa Cruz Gartersnake (Thamnophis atratus atratus) was found sunning itself in the middle of the driveway. This particular species is a very common, and very welcome, inhabitant of the farm.
Santa Cruz Gartersnake (click image to enlarge)
Santa Cruz Gartersnake (Thamnophis atratus atratus)
We are surrounded by woodland and have two seasonal creeks on the property, ideal habitat for this species of snake. The Santa Cruz Gartersnake is a non-venomous, aquatic species, and feeds primarily on amphibians and small fish.
I was a tad surprised to read it was actually a welcome visitor, was thinking that while maybe good to keep certain other visitors away it would still be scary to run into them yourself. But after reading they are non-venomous I would actually be quite interested to run into them! They make great photographs 🙂