Snake Skin

A 14-inch long junior eastern garter snake (I suspect) slithered through the garden this week. When I detected its slippery movements, my first thought was for the welfare of the toad who lives in my garden. I rescued this particular toad from the window well earlier in the summer. A rustling of leaves was her distress call. I scooped her up and deposited her in the shade of the large maple tree in the backyard where she returned the favor by happily munching on garden pests for lunch. I hoped my green friend was not moving through the snake's digestive system at that moment because I had been keeping an eye on her since the time she emerged from a hibernation hole under the lilies in early May. A more senior garter snake had obviously been in my garden as well. Evidence of its molting was of interest to Seymour Cat who spent several minutes smelling the senior snake's upper layer of skin.