So this is Aiden- one of the two 'Snake Hunters' in a recent post....happily displaying his 'treasure' on a sunny summer afternoon in front of my gardens.

A non-venomous garter snake (aka- 'garden snake') belonging to the genus Thamnophis .....seen in and around my gardens all summer. Aiden and his cousin Carson found this guy sunning himself on a rocky outcropping. Under normal circumstances he would not have hung around long enough for the boys to pick him up but this guy was in the process of shedding his old skin....a stage that renders him much more lethargic than typical.

Printed this image for Aiden and it hangs in his bedroom.