What type of Snake is this?

[Lindsey]

Hello - I'm new here, I know nothing about snakes. I recently came home to find this snake resting in my garage. Could anyone help identify it? Thanks!

[toddnbecka]

Going by the grey background color and shape/pattern of the markings I'd say most likely a milk snake. Probably the most harmless and inoffensive snake you're likely to run across IME. I've picked up adults and a small baby in the wild, none ever struck or bit, didn't even poop on me. Diet is small rodents and lizards.

[FWK]

It's an Eastern Milk Snake. Nice find and pic.

[sharthun]

It's an Eastern Milk Snake. Nice find and pic.

It's a beautiful eastern for sure. Nice find!

[Lindsey]

Great! Originally I thought it was a corn snake and was very concerned because I live in eastern Ontario, Canada and corn snakes are from the southern US. I was worried he might have been a pet that was 'freed' and wouldn't survive our winter. But after doing more research I discovered he looked more like a milk snake. Are these snakes common? Is it strange that he ended up in my garage on a residential street in the middle of the day?

[toddnbecka]

Fairly common in a good bit of the US, not so much up your way. Their diet is rodents, other snakes, and amphibians. Snakes in general tend to turn up where there's food available, or looking for a good place to hibernate for the winter, but it's a bit early for that now.