Few things make a gardener jump like a snake sliding out from under the zucchini leaves.
"Garden snake" is a nickname for garter snakes, a group of small, common, non-venomous snakes found across most of North America.
A garter snake living under your mulch or in a stone wall is quietly working as free pest control.
Garter snakes are the most common, but several other non-venomous snakes regularly turn up in yards and gardens.
Most snakes you meet in a garden are harmless, but venomous species do live in many parts of the United States.
Most bites happen when people try to handle or kill snakes.
Snakes come to gardens for shelter, food and warmth.
Step-by-step advice, charts and free garden calculators at Garden Voila.