Who’s that friendly guy in your garden?

In case you were wondering, gartersnakes got their name because of their resemblance to the garters that men used to use to hold their socks up — even though to modern eyes, they more closely resemble garden hoses. This info comes from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) web page on snakes, where we also learn that garter snakes are not only the most common snake in Connecticut, they are also the most common snake in North America.

Part of the secret of their success is that they’re very adaptable and can live in a wide variety of habitats. They’re also not that fussy about what they eat; they like most worms and bugs and wee animals such as frogs and toads and lizards. 

They also are interested in food that’s in your kitchen and can manage to crawl into your house through very small openings. The DEEP suggests that, “To discourage snakes from entering buildings, make sure all cracks in the foundation are sealed. Basement windows should close tight or be covered with screens.”

If you do find one inside the house, the DEEP doesn’t want you to kill it, and here’s why: “All snakes will retreat from humans if given a chance. Killing a gartersnake should be avoided because 1) there is no reason to kill a gartersnake, and 2) it is difficult to distinguish gartersnakes from ribbonsnakes (even for experts). Misidentification may result in the unnecessary death of a ribbonsnake, which is a species of special concern in Connecticut.”

And definitely, the DEEP warns, don’t try to keep a gartersnake (or any wild snake) as a pet. 

“Gartersnakes are harmless to people and are NOT venomous,” the DEEP promises. “They do not constitute a nuisance or impact humans or human activity. 

“However, they are often encountered in yards and around outbuildings.”

This is how Lakeville Journal Co. Production Coordinator James Clark spotted a gartersnake over the weekend at his house in Salisbury. 

“I ‘found it’ … well, I practically stepped on it. They hang out on the hill behind our house and in and around our patio stone wall,” Clark said. “They’re harmless, but it’s no less unsettling to encounter one. We start to see them sunning about the third week in May every year.”