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Are Gardening Snakes Poisonous?

Have you ever been confronted by a lowly garden visitor like a slithery little snake, and thought: ‘Is this snake dangerous?’ If you’re like many of us gardeners or backyard explorers for that matter, you’ve found a snake or two on your watch and wondered if you’re dealing with a poisonous danger or a harmless helper. The truth about your garden snakes is both more complex and easier than you might have imagined. So stay with me and I’ll share what I’ve discovered about the who, what and why of both in your yard.

Understanding Gardening Snakes: A Closer Look

And before I start, I need to dispel one of the greatest and most sketchy nicknames of all time: I’m not talking about gardening snakes. That’s a massive misnomer. I promise. The correct term is garter snakes – a common name given to a group of harmless, non-venomous snakes that I, almost always, find in my garden. So gardening snake = garter snake. The little snakes that visit in greenery check.

The Nature of Garter Snakes

Identifying Garter Snakes

It’s quite a thing to see a garter snake. Long, lithe, with zig-zag stripes running the length of their bodies, they come in a dazzling variety of colours, but those stripes are how you identify them. If it’s striped and it’s slithering through your cabbages, it’s a garter snake.

Habitat and Diet: What Draws Them to Gardens?

Garter snakes eat worms, insects, slugs and occasionally young rodents. Your garden is not just home, but a smorgasbord. The snakes like yards that have pools or ponds, places where they can hide under rocks or in thick grass. They might even slither right across your lawn. More than anything else – think of it as a toxic tax – snakes can be your helpers. They eat rodents, slugs and other garden pests.

Are Gardening Snakes Poisonous
Are Gardening Snakes Poisonous

The Big Question: Poisonous or Not?

Debunking the Myth

Let’s start with the obvious: are garter snakes poisonous? The short answer is no. Garter snakes do not have venom. They are not dangerous to humans; they are susceptible to attacks, so they prefer to flee when threatened.

A Note on Venom and Poison

Another point worth noting is the difference between venomous and poisonous. Venomous animals administer (via ‘venom’) toxins, while poisonous animals expel (via ‘poison’) toxins when touched or eaten. Technically, garter snakes are venomous – their saliva is mildly venomous. But they lack a viable system for delivering that venom to humans. The venom is used for subduing their prey, which are mostly small enough to fall under the category ‘optional snack’. The kind of venom or poison that is meant to protect them against predators is not found in garter snakes.

Handling Garter Snakes

Though not dangerous, it’s usually best to admire garter snakes from afar. And in the unlikely event you have to move one, it’s a good idea to wear gloves. Not to avoid exposure to venom (they don’t have any) but mainly because they have a propensity to spread a nasty-smelling secretion when handled – and it’s only fair to the snake not to go through the ordeal if unnecessary.

The Benefits of Garter Snakes in Your Garden

Natural Pest Control

Each garter snake that moves into your garden is like having an organic and nocturnal pest patrol – they will eat many slugs and insects that would otherwise feed on your plants.

Biodiversity Boost

Having the garter snakes there indicates ‘a healthy ecosystem, a lot of biodiversity and a good ecosystem in general’, says Wolf. ‘Having them around is beneficial. They can help you attract other wildlife you might want around your yard.’ If your backyard becomes a mini oasis for ‘ecosystem services’, you can rest easy. With lush vegetation, migrating moths, tiny rodents and all, your backyard could actually take a bite out of the carbon problem.

How to Make Your Garden Snake-Friendly (And Why You Might Want To)

Providing Shelter

A happy garter-snake neighbourhood would have extra shelter in the form of rock piles, dense plants, and even a small, shallow water feature. Such features add beauty as well as habitat and should be more than detractors would have you believe.

Avoiding Chemicals

And, of course, one of the best ways to keep your slithery friends safe (and, by extension, the rest of the garden’s inhabitants) is to reduce the use of chemicals. When it comes to pesticides, the weed­-killers and bug-­killers can harm not just the pest critters but the snakes they have enlisted as guardians of patience and plenty.

Conclusion

Therefore, gardening snakes, as in, garter snakes, are not only harmless but a welcome ones, providing multiple benefits from pest control to biodiversification, and by extension, a wonderful addition for the eco-conscious gardener. Remember the next time you see one in your green space – it’s a sign of a healthy, flourishing garden, and perhaps a new garden friend. Cheers to living (and gardening) side by side with our scaly neighbours.

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