I saw this little guy on the walking path around the ball diamond the other day! Cool!
This is a Northwestern Garter Snake (Thamnophis ordinoides), a common and highly variable species on Vancouver Island.
It’s the smallest of the three garter snakes found here (usually under 60 cm), with a dull brown-grey to olive body, keeled scales, and stripes that can range from bright to faint or even absent. This photo shows the classic mottled look and clear light stripes typical of many individuals. All Island garter snakes are completely harmless to people.
These snakes are mostly terrestrial day-active foragers that love cover objects and sunny spots for basking.
- Favourite foods: slugs, earthworms, snails, and small amphibians (adults sometimes take eggs too).
- They hide under rocks, logs, or debris and rarely swim much.
- In winter they hibernate in rock crevices or burrows, emerging in spring.
They mate soon after leaving hibernation, then give birth to live young (3–20 independent snakelets) in summer or early fall. Females may breed every year or every couple of years depending on condition, and individuals can live over 20 years. A classic, beneficial garden visitor that helps keep slug numbers down!