I've been working just east of St. Louis, MO at Scott AFB in IL ever since early April. First week though a co-worker called me out a few times to see a snake. I didn't get a good look at it before it crawled under the sidewalk at work, which is near a large grassy area which serves as a drainage pool for storms also. At first I wasn't sure but I thought it was a Prairie kingsnake.
Ever since then I see this snake and at least 2 large Garter snakes which, surprisingly, essentially live together under this large concrete sidewalk, which is near our large warehouse which they probably brumate under as well, almost every day, basking in the grass in the exact same spot.
I don't care for stinky garters, but I caught the now ID'd Milksnake each of the last few days. She is as tame as my pet snakes but does rattle the tail when I first touch her sometimes. No musk or pooping or biting. She's also incredibly fat since I first saw her the first week of April. This snake eats WELL. I thought maybe it was a garter inside of her, but I highly doubt it because I see the same large garters go in and out of the same ruts she goes into daily. The area where they are must have a large rodent population because there is mice dung everywhere and rodent 'tunnels' through the grass.
She's a very washed out brown and you can just barely make out her pattern, but definitely a L.t.t. I'll try to get some pics next time I catch her. She's over 3' and fat which I think is fairly large for an E. Milk. I thought it was an interesting story being that I see the same snakes almost everyday and can pretty much go out and hold her each day if I want. She has never strayed more than a few feet outside of the sidewalk ruts where I see her, usually curled up under the short grass basking.
Thanks
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- Matt
1.0 Black Milk '04
1.0 Andean Milk '06
0.1 Eastern King '97
0.1 Bullsnake '09
