Garden Snakes
Finding hiding places is part of snakes’ nature, they are pretty solitary creatures that do not pose any risk unless they sense danger. For example, many people have heard of garden snakes but they have actually never seen any. If you love gardening it is possible to find the skins they leave behind, otherwise they are so camouflaged in the background and keep their distance from humans that encounters are very sporadic. Garden snakes are dull colored, either in tans and shades of brown, pale yellow, khaki or green, both humans and large animals like pets will scare them. The only issue is when the garden snakes are venomous, then you are in trouble, and most often, professional assistance is required to capture and move them in wilderness.
The Gartner snake is the best known garden snakes species, and it is found mainly in the Americas in almost all climates. The favorite habitats for garden snakes count ponds, yards, fields and forests, which is why a garden with all its vegetation variety proves perfect for such snakes. They can be recognized by three yellow horizontal stripes along the body; these creatures 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. Avoid contact with garden snakes no matter the species as their bite could be pretty nasty.
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 areas of the continent a decline in the garden snakes number has been noticed, not only because collector’s abuse but also because of the fragility of the ecosystems of which garden snakes are an integrated segment. As for the subspecies diversity identified as garden snakes, gardening guides often present incomplete information. Even researchers do not always share the same opinion about the risk or safety of these snakes in human proximity.
For people who’d like to keep garden snakes away from their house premises, there are all sorts of repellents available in stores. The risk is potentially higher when you inhabit an area where both venomous and non-venomous snakes live and a distinction between the species is pretty difficult if not impossible to make. Even so, you should be aware of the fact that keeping snakes out of the garden is pretty challenging and not 100% effective. Most experts insist that you let them be unless bother you or your family on a very frequent basis.