Garters in the Garden

Garter snakes are one of the most common snakes in North America. Have you ever seen one of these slithery creatures in your mom’s garden? If so, you’ve got a good eye! God gave some animals camouflage (special colors and patterns) to survive in our fallen world.

I’m Peter Schriemer! As a wildlife educator and TV host, I get excited about tracking down God’s creatures! Join my adventures on my Answers TV show Hike & Seek.

Garter snakes usually have yellow stripes down their backs. Sometimes they have blotches. The blotches help camouflage the snake when it is sitting still. The stripes help a garter snake appear still even when it is slithering through the grass. Often when you try to catch a garter snake, it has already escaped!

Like other reptiles, garter snakes are cold-blooded. They need a source of heat—like the sun—to warm their bodies. During sunny days, you might spot a garter snake sunbathing on a rock.

Garter snakes eat insects, rodents, earthworms, frogs, and even other small snakes. But snakes didn’t always eat other animals. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden of Eden, sin and death entered the world. Creatures began hunting and eating each other. But someday, God will make a new heavens and earth with no more death—and I can’t wait to see what creation will look like then!

How Did Garter Snakes Get Their Name?

Many years ago, socks did not have elastic. To keep their socks from falling down, men would wear garters—stretchy straps that were brightly colored or striped, like garter snakes.