Garter snakes are common, non-venomous reptiles found across North America, often appearing in residential areas. As ectotherms, they rely entirely on their environment to regulate their body temperature, which governs their daily movements. They hide to seek protection from predators and to thermoregulate, moving between sun-warmed basking spots and cool, damp shelter. Hiding is also part of their foraging strategy, allowing them to ambush small prey such as earthworms, slugs, and amphibians.
Preferred General Habitats
Garter snakes thrive in environments offering moisture and dense cover, often found near permanent water sources like ponds, streams, or marshlands. Their natural habitats include open meadows, forest edges, and grassy fields. Highly adaptable, they frequently establish populations near human development, extending their range into suburban and urban landscapes. Water is attractive because it supports a diverse food supply and provides a means of escape. They seek out areas with overgrown vegetation and abundant debris, which is why an untidy garden or property bordering a wetland is more likely to harbor them than a well-maintained lawn.
Specific Hiding Spots in Yards and Gardens
Within a residential setting, garter snakes seek out microclimates that offer immediate refuge from the sun and predators throughout their active season. They frequently utilize flat, discarded materials such as sheets of plywood, old boards, or landscaping timbers, which trap heat and moisture underneath. These objects provide a dark, humid space for cooling and a warm surface on top for basking.
Dense ornamental grasses, thick ground cover, and low-lying shrubs offer excellent three-dimensional cover, allowing the snakes to move and hunt while remaining concealed. They will also burrow into thick layers of leaf litter or deep mulch beds, where insulation helps moderate temperature fluctuations. These spots often contain the invertebrates and small amphibians that make up a large part of the garter snake diet.
Piles of decorative or field stones, retaining walls, and rockeries are commonly used as daytime shelters, offering numerous small crevices for cover. A compost pile can be a significant draw because the decomposition process generates heat, providing a localized warm spot, especially during cooler spring and autumn periods. They also use pre-existing holes and burrows, such as those abandoned by rodents, to access the cooler soil beneath the surface.
Winter Hibernation Locations
As temperatures drop, garter snakes enter brumation, requiring stable shelter below the frost line. Since they cannot dig extensive tunnels, they rely on pre-existing underground cavities called hibernacula. These locations must maintain a consistent temperature above freezing throughout the winter. In developed areas, this often means utilizing spaces provided by human structures, such as deep cracks in concrete foundations or voids beneath porches and patios. They also use abandoned mammal burrows or deep fissures in rock formations, often gathering in large groups to conserve body heat.