Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering were everyone likes to hunt for garter/ribbon snakes. I live in fl and see them occasionally but not as much as I would like. As a matter of fact, I saw them at least weekly when I lived in Minnesota. I'm mainly interested in the blue sided garters and the other greenish lookin one. So many people overlook these snakes but I think they are just as good a find as a yellow rat snake. Thanks in advance-Cole

Whereabouts in Florida are you? True bluestripe garters are only found in the gulf area of northwestern Florida. The "Florida Blue" variant of the eastern garter can be found throughout the state. Look for them around the edges of canals,ponds,creeks or any other body of water that has a population of fish & frogs.

P.S. Watch out for poisonous snakes and gators.

I live in central Fl so it must just be the easterns. Man are they gorgoeus snakes. I was out golfing a few weeks ago and I found one about 2' long freshly killed on the cart path. Just yesterday I saw a greenish one dor. What causes the color difference, is it genetic?

I'm not exactly sure what causes the color difference, but I suspect it's something in the enviroment. Oddly enough, the bluestripe ribbon snake is also only found in the same areas as the bluestripe garter. Hmmmm....makes you wonder?

I would be interested to find out if the grasses in that area of Florida tend to be bluer as well. Perhaps its like those moths in England, and throughout the years all the non bluish ones were picked off by predators easier therefor strengthening the blue bloodlines.

Dave