It’s snowing as I write. The landscape is powdered, the driveway is solid white, and I’m wondering how this fellow here is doing:
He’s my first snake of the year, a common garter snake that dashed across my shady path yesterday and soon was gone. It was like a fast-disappearing apparition. Obviously, his cold blood had warmed up enough to enable him to reach skedaddling speed. He’s probably coiled up in a crevice now, patiently waiting for the snow flurry to stop.
It’s not surprising that my first snake of 2025 was a garter snake; they’re the most frequently seen snakes in the state, according to state wildlife reports. They eat mostly earthworms, but also feed on other animals that are small enough to fit in their greatly-expandable mouths, including very small birds. They give birth to live young during July through mid-September. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine. on March 28, 2025.)