The Most Common Places Garter Snakes Hide In Your Backyard

Spring and summer are the perfect times to enjoy your backyard — and snakes agree. You might be attracting snakes to your yard without even knowing it. Garter snakes, the most common type of snake in the U.S., often like to hide under decorative rocks, tall grass, and yard debris.

Garter snakes are common throughout North America. Different species live in different areas, with 13 species in total, and their colors and patterns vary. But they typically are two to three feet long and have yellow stripes down their body, on a yellowish, brown, black, or green background.

Fortunately, garter snakes aren't dangerous — they may bite if threatened or accidentally stepped on, but their bites don't contain venom that can hurt humans or pets. Many gardeners welcome garter snakes because they can eat harmful insects and rodents. On the other hand, they may also feed on beneficial insects and can be startling if you don't see them coming. Here's where to watch out for garter snakes hiding in your yard.

Garter snakes prefer to live in moist, grassy settings. In the wild, they often gravitate to bodies of water like ponds or streams. Similarly, having a pool or a bird bath might attract snakes to your yard.

Garter snakes like to hide among tall grass, debris piles, decorative rocks, retaining walls, wood piles, logs, or boards. Snakes hide in these spots to wait for prey and hide from predators. They also like to use natural holes in the ground, or those made by other animals such as rodents. They hibernate in these holes in the winter, venturing out to get warm from the sun when they can. It's more common to encounter a garter snake in the spring or summer.

If you're not a snake fan, deterring garter snakes from your yard is easy. Eliminate as many of their hiding spots as you can by keeping your yard neat and trimmed and not leaving rocks, wood, or debris outside. Preventing other pests, such as rodents, can also help deter snakes by depriving them of a food source.

Not sure whether you have garter snakes in your yard? Since they don't create their own holes, that's not a sure tell unless you also see other signs of snake activity. Snakes regularly shed their skins, which you may spot near their hiding spots. They leave droppings behind: a dark smear with white patches. You might hear the snake slithering through vegetation or debris, or even hear hissing. Sometimes you can spot the distinctive trails that they leave as they slither across dirt or debris.

But overall, the simplest way to know that you have a snake issue is to spot the snake itself. If you see a snake and want to know for certain if it's a garter, take a photo and ask a professional. But regardless of what type of snake it is, the advice is similar: don't approach it, pick it up, or try to kill it. Snakes naturally avoid humans and it will likely leave on its own, but you can spray it with a hose to hurry it on its way. Aside from that, prevention is the best method by snake-proofing your yard so that it's unlikely to come back.