Originally Posted by Rose_P (Post 5387445)

The quilt is nice, and so is this harmless garter snake. They help to keep down the rodent population in your area. They are clean and quiet, and if you try to look at it objectively, you might notice that the pattern of the scales is quite pretty. Where's the harm? It's a shame that snakes get such a bad rap. The vast majority of them are much more a help to us than a threat. Even the venomous ones are just out there minding their own business and have no desire to hurt people, since they can't eat us. They strike in self defense, usually when they're afraid for their lives. I'm not saying that people should encourage venomous snakes in populated areas, but the harmless ones should be protected. The have an important niche in the ecology. All life is interdependent, and if we destroy things needlessly, there are almost always negative consequences down the road, such as an increase in the rodent population, in this case. It's time for people to get their heads straight about snakes and quit reacting with primitive notions that have nothing to do with fact.