snake with bright yellow stripe & black & red checkers
Posted by Gayle Hadden on June 18, 2008
Q: I'm sending a picture of two mating snakes on my patio in Wichita and wondering if you can tell me what they are, what they eat, & where they choose to live. Our yard flanks some woods and we have a lot of pine mulch in the beds that I've seen them in. Beautiful markings. Shy.
State: Kansas
Habitat: suburban/yard
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A: Great photo and thanks for including your exact location! Your snakes are Red-sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) a subspecies of the Eastern Garter Snake. Really beautiful snakes and great too that you were able to see them mating - the male is the smaller of the two. In your area, this species is usually found near some kind of water course, both permanent and temporary. Garter snakes are totally harmless and eat lots of creepy crawlies so I hope you're happy to have them at your home.
Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( June 19, 2008)