Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Thamnophis elegans vagrans

NOT my hand, I can assure you! Taken in a local park when we were snake monitoring on May 30th. Rules (from higher up) were changed this year - including not needing to wear plastic gloves, which surprised me. Pretty much impossible to get even one photo, as a standing rule is to handle the snakes (never by ME!) absolutely only as long as it takes to measure them. Common but localized populations; least abundant among the three Thamnophis species. Adults: 45 cm - 107 cm. Watch where you step : ) I don't know about you, but my knees always go weak when I unexpectedly come across one of these when I'm on a walk! Unfortunately, some snakes are killed by bicycles on the bike paths within the park.

Thought I had "better" post a couple of photos of things out in the wild, to give you all a break from my Zoo photos : ) This is a Wandering Garter Snake, seen down at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park. They tend to blend in really well with their leafy surroundings.

Well, it took a number of shots before I managed to catch the tongue coming out, LOL! Unfortunately, my camera focused on the body instead of the head and tongue : ) Thank goodness for 18x zoom (and a crop), ha, ha! After seeing f4h1m's comment, I thought I'd better just add that these Garter Snakes are harmless, for anyone unfamiliar with them. To me, a snake is a snake - harmless or venomous is beside the point! Very definitely not my favourite creatures : )

This was one of seven (I think) snakes that we saw during Snake Monitoring yesterday. It was our last time doing this, so I was glad to get one or two more photos. This is one of the two different species that we get here - a Wandering Garter Snake male. I was just lucky to catch the tongue out - no matter how hard I try, I almost always click just a split second too late.