On June 2nd, the spring after Emily rebuilt the dry stone steps, I found this garter snake skin on the steps — a big one.
FYI, “snok” is one Swedish word for “snake”. Adorable, right?
We figured out early on that there was some sort of garter snake nest below the steps, and were very excited to have them on the property. They take care of pests and ask for nothing in return. Heck, they’d been fine with the privet hedge roots invading their space, and probably enjoyed hanging out around the hostas.
When we planned the rebuild with Emily, we were all committed to minimal disturbance of the snakes’ den. I went on a herpetology walk at the RBG specifically to learn from the guide what the best time of year was to rebuild. Mid-July to end-of-August was the answer, as breeding is over and they haven’t started hibernating.
Our first sense that it had worked was when my husband saw a little snake head tasting the air from between the riser stones about a week prior to this photo.
Since this photo, I am happy to say that I have seen garter snakes of various sizes around the yard.
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