Even though I have lived in countries like India, Ghana and Brazil, where snakes were a common sight, I have never seen as many snakes as I have here, in the greater Washington area. I have had the great luck of seeing a snake every single time we go for a walk or hiking (except in the cold winter months of course). Most common are the gartersnake, the ratsnake and the watersnake. There are roughly 27 species and sub-species of snakes, only two of which are venomous and potentially deadly (copperhead and timber rattlesnake).

Last weekend we´ve been to the Maryland side of Great Falls Park, and sure enough, we saw the seasons first snake. A gartersnake. For a long time it was assumed that gartersnakes were nonvemonous, but they are in fact slightly venomous, as recent discoveries have shown. They are still relatively harmless to humans, as the venom is mild and they have no means of transporting it through a bite. The teeth are in the back of the mouth hidden under large gums, a design meant for chewing on small prey. Nevertheless, keep a respectable distance as they are a tad agressive and tend to strike if challenged.

So if you ever see a gartersnake, relax and carry on observing.

Unfortunately I wasn´t fast enough to focus properly in this situation.

The snake was not very shy and came by quite closely.

Gartersnakes have a distinct white to yellow stripe along the center line.