Are you into herps? TRIGGER WARNING!

[Omaha Steve]

We have a new bug hunter in the yard. We have to keep an eye open so the dogs don't get s/he.

Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and the gymnophiona) and reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians and the tuataras).

[IronLionZion]

1. I'd like to get some rat hunters in my city

which has become overrun by rats

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Squee! A nice little garter snake!

[at140]

3. There was a snake sunning itself on my front porch!

Here in Florida, snakes are ubiquitous.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. Garter snake!

When I was a child they'd show up in the spring and we'd play with them. After a few weeks we rarely saw them around, but I'm sure they were doing their job.

[mopinko]

5. my farm is teaming w garter snakes.

have always had them around my property, but all the soil building that i did to start my farm are perfect habitat.
i practice hugelkultur, which is basically massive composting in place. piles of logs instead of twigs.

i've run into nests of 20 or more, and have a 3' tall hugelpile that is probably home to 100 of them, including some pretty big uns, and many babies.

consequently, i have very, very, very few insect problems.
rabbits and squirrels, sure. but slugs, or japanese beetles? close to nada.

[sprinkleeninow]

6. They are 'into us'. We got, idk, salamanders? that taunt our 'daughter'

who parks herself at either of the glass storm doors. Then a week ago I found a run over snake in the road. Neighbor thought it was a copperhead. But on the news that nite, a lady got bitten in her apartment parking lot and she managed to get a photo of the perpetrator. This one here was nothing like it. Not orange/brown with markings. So I looked it up. I did take a photo with my phone. It looked more like a Rat Snake. Was not an adult, more like an adolescent. I was relieved that it wasn't venomous. Yick.