06/01/2026
I love this post 🥹
She has a tongue that tastes the air, toad-toxin immunity, and gives birth to live young in late summer. Most people see her slip through the mulch on a warm morning and assume the worst.☀️
The garter snake doesn't damage gardens. She doesn't chew wiring. She doesn't pick fights with the dog. She eats the slugs, the grubs, the earthworms, and the occasional mouse — then slides under a flat stone to digest in peace.
She's the most widely distributed reptile in North America. No eyelids, only transparent scales over her eyes. A body that can hunt in cooler weather than most snakes will dare. And a litter of up to forty young, all born ready to hunt on their own.
A flat stone in the corner of the garden, or a brush pile near the compost. That's the entire ask 🐍
