A Few Small Snakes in Southeastern Pennsylvania

A few kinds of small, harmless and interesting snakes commonly live in the eastern part of the United States and Canada, including here in southeastern Pennsylvania. These attractive, adaptable little critters are eastern garter, northern brown and ring-neck snakes. They are seldom seen because they are camouflaged, secretive and hide in various kinds of shelters, including under logs, rocks, brush piles and other objects on the ground or in dense vegetation.

All these species of snakes eat invertebrates in the varying habitats they live in. Living in a variety of habitats, including human-made ones, Garter snakes are the largest of this grouping, with some individuals becoming two feet long. Each individual is mostly dull-green with a yellow stripe running the length of its back and another one on each flank. Garter snakes inhabit moist environments and actively hunt prey day and night. They sometimes catch small frogs and young mice, as well as invertebrates. They emit a foul-smelling odor to avoid predation. Garters mate in spring and give birth to up to 50 live, eight-inch young in August and September. I sometimes see baby garter snakes warming themselves on sun-warmed, blacktop roads in September. I remove as many as I can from those roads, if it is safe to do so.

Northern Brown snakes are up to 14 inches long and mostly brown with two parallel rows of dark spots running lengthwise on top, and a vertical black streak behind the eye on each side of their head.

This species lives in rural and urban niches such as vacant lots, fields, woods and parks where they hide under leaf piles, compost heaps, and buildings, as well as other sheltering places. This species gives birth to 10 -15 live young late in the summer.

A Happy Ring-necked Snake ~ Diadophis punctatus

Ring-necked snakes are the most beautiful of this grouping of small snakes. They grow up to 18 inches long and are black on top with red or yellow bellies and have a ring of the same color around their necks. They hide mostly under fallen logs in woodlands, where they are associates of red-backed and slimy salamanders, toads, and a variety of invertebrates, some of which they eat. Each female lays 3 -10 eggs that hatch in August and September.

These snakes are not seen often. But if the reader spots them, please leave them alone. They are harmless.

Photo courtesy of Brian Gratwicke