Yesterday I co-led a “Wednesday Hiking Club” visit to the Lisa Tolman Wooten Nature Preserve on Little Deer Isle. At the very end of our 90-minute walk, we came across this common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) sunning itself at the edge of the trail, near the marshy entrance to the preserve. As a cold-blooded reptile, the garter snake needs to warm up before going about its business, and this one seemed either very courageous or perhaps still a little cold on that damp April morning.
As a kid growing up, the garter snake was the only snake I ever encountered. The braver of us would try to figure a way to pick up and handle it — we were told it was non-venomous. Scientists now say that it does have a mild neurotoxic saliva that can help subdue small prey such as frogs.
According to my web research, the garter snake is fairly cold-tolerant, so is among the first to emerge from group hibernation dens, or hibernacula, at this time of year. The timing doesn’t surprise me — the night before the Island Heritage Trust had organized a Big Night effort to help the frogs, spotted salamanders and other herps get to the vernal pools where they will lay their eggs. They might provide a great meal for a snake like this… which in turn, might provide a nice meal for returning osprey, as well as our year round bald eagles and red-tailed hawks. Circle of life.
Almanac
Today’s Forecast: Rainy conditions expected around 8AM. The lowest Feels Like temperature was 35° around 7AM.
| Weather | ||
|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature: 42 | High Temperature: 45 | Precipitation (in): .25 |
| Wind Direction: E | Max Wind (mph): 13 | |
| Sunrise: 5:47 | Sunset: 7:20 | |
| Lunar Phase: Waning Crescent | Days to Next Full: 15 |
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