Identification help

[Winning16]

Hi All,
New guy here. I found this little guy in my back yard yesterday, can you help out with what kind it is? A few weeks ago I had a slightly larger than this (clearly) garter snake on my front porch and im thinking this is the same but it wasn't as clear as the other one I saw. I live in southern new jersey and i have wetlands on my property.

Of course my wife is deathly afraid of snakes so i need to prove to her that the ones we have around us are harmless and good for keeping out the small rodents, etc.

Thanks in advance!

[Minkness]

Looks like a checkered garter to me! Perfectly harmless. =)

[JellyBean]

It's all ok, wife! :D
It's a pretty baby

[FWK]

Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis), harmless. These feed primarily on fish, amphibians, and soft bodied inverts, such as worms and slugs. Nice find.

[Winning16]

Thank you all again!