I’ve been seeing a lot of snakes in Jamaica Plain. Along one 15-foot section of a rock wall I recently saw 10 common garter snakes! 10?!
I think I’ve been seeing more and more garter snakes the last several years. That makes sense as they are the most abundant and commonly seen snake species seen in Massachusetts, according to MassWildlife. Fun fact: The name “garter” comes from the article of clothing.
They are most active during the day, so it makes sense to see them while we’re out and about in Jamaica Plain. Their diet varies from worms, insects, frogs, toads, fish, salamanders, nestling birds, and small mammals like mice or rats. They help keep the small rodent population down — so thank you snakes!
The other day my preschooler moved a few rocks and we found this snake — a DeKay’s brownsnake (picture to the right). I had never seen one before. Don’t worry, they are small, nonvenomous, and common snakes to the area. They are good at hiding in vegetation or leaf litter. They are active during the day in the spring and fall, but nocturnal during the summer.
Fun fact: They were named after naturalist James DeKay, who is credited with documenting the first specimen, on Long Island in the 1830s, according to MassWildlife. The average adult DeKay’s brownsnake is between 8 and 14 inches.
For the record, there are 14 species of snakes native to Massachusetts, and two of them are venomous: copperhead and timber rattlesnake. Both are endangered and rarely seen in the wild, and neither are native to Suffolk County.
