Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone.

My name is Michael. I live in a town about 100 miles north of San Fransisco called Ukiah.

I really don't see any snakes here that much, so I am wondering can I get any tips as to where I might be able to find any?

Ukiah is a place where you would expect to find snakes though. I'm mainly looking for Garter, Grass, Ring-neck, and King Snakes.

I dont live there, so I cant give you exact details. Is the area pretty spaced out and vacant? Where I live there are about 200,000 people, but a 10 minute drive puts you into snake country. So far, I have yet to see any in the field while looking for them (Ive been surprised by a few while hunting frogs within town, but they are rare) but they are easy to find by road at night. If you know of any roads that arent well traveled and run through vast open areas, that would be a good place to start. Start at dusk, keep going until at least midnight. Also, take a short trip out of town more into the country and look for some good areas to herp in. If its not too hot out, board flipping might work well. For garters, look for areas with water. They usually stick near permanent bodies of water. For cal kings, look for grassy fields or areas with sparse vegetation. For mtn kings, rocky areas near water work best. If you are collecting, be sure to have you fishing license on you and obey all of the laws. Best of luck to you!

To find grass, head down a 100 miles to Hate and Ashberry. However, I've also heard Humboldt has some nice grass too.

Your area is crawling with snakes of all varieties, provided you know where and WHEN to look. The "when" is perhaps more relevant right now because by this time of year you're not likely to find much except on the roads very late at night, which might be a problem with your parents. My son, age 13, gets a a kick out of staying up late and driving in the hills, but then again his dad (me, of course) comes up with the idea in the first place.

A lot of beginners make the mistake of thinking that snakes are out and about during sunlight hours. This is partially true for species like racers and garter snakes, but in general they prefer to remain concealed. Snakes are after all a valuable food source for birds, who have great eyesight. Plus, snakes require (more or less) constant humidity in order to be comfortable. If a board is bone dry underneath, you're not as likely to find something than if it is moist. This is why you find animals under boards and such in the springtime. I know of a single piece of plywood that gave up two species of garter snake, a couple of gopher snakes, a racer, a rattlesnake, a dozen ringnecks, and one mountain king-- just this year alone. On the other hand, I've seen nothing under it for the last three months.

All is not lost though. After the first rains of the season you will start finding this year's babies. Find a sunny place near a wooded area where there is debris scattered around, such as boards, sheets of metal etc. Go there late in the afternoon on a warm day after a recent rain and look underneath them. You WILL eventually find something. These are the same places you will find adult animals in the springtime.

As for mountain kings, you have to either be incredibly lucky or a lot more experienced to find one as easily as you would a garter, ringneck or common king. They inhabit a very specific micro-habitat, which you must be able to identify before you will find them.

By far, the best indicator for snakes is the presence of lizards. If there are a lot of lizards around, there ARE snakes to eat them. All you have to do is work out the details.

Hope this helps.

Good post and advice.

Richard F. Hoyer

Where is this board! Just kidding, sounds like a great spot for you and Im sure you dont want to give it away.

What two garter species? Ill be looking for a red side either later this year or next spring, Im kind of curious as to what type of habitat, temp, and so on to find them at. If they cross roads at night, that is a bonus, as I do most of my herping by car.

Yes, other than to say it's on Mount Loma Prieta (remember the big quake?) the location will remain undisclosed. I put it there myself, along with a few others in the same general vicinity that haven't been nearly as productive. Sheer luck.

The two garters were common red-sided and Santa Cruz (T. atratus atratus). And the racer was M. flagellum (re: Stebbins), NOT lateralis (as someone suggested), which I thought was an interesting find, given the locality.

By chance, were you able to get a picture of the M. flagellum?

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