common garter

[pdomensis]

I came across this Thamnophis sirtalis this morning. It was 39 degrees and she was in the middle of the road. I moved her to the bushes, but when I came back 20 minutes later she was back in the road trying to get warm again.

[jpsteele80]

Lol I imagine at 39° he was trying to get warm

[smy_749]

gravid girl?

[pdomensis]

She was pretty fat; either gravid or well-fed.

[drumcrush]

Sweet find!

[Tgunz127]

I get tons of garters in my backyard .. I'm excited for the warm weather ... Saw a couple big ones last year

[sharthun]

Awesome find and shots!

[Pareeeee]

Nice find! That is a beautiful snake.

I would go one step further and say you have found a subspecies of the Common Garter, the Red-sided Garter (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis )

Reptiles and Amphibians of Ontario | A New Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas | Species | Protect | Ontario Nature (http://www.ontarionature.org/protect/species/reptiles_and_amphibians/red-sided_gartersnake.php)