Both pictures are in my caudata.org album Kurt, you may be able to see them there.


This one is really blowing my mind, as I see the brown and orange ones all the time. The "normal" Plains garters are much less often seen, and as stated before, only near water.

Upon further research, I suspect the locals may be right, but the differences seem too drastic to me for animals found within 2 miles of each other.

The brown one(s) lives in my yard, have been trying to capture and photograph it all season. I found it hiding under a board in my garage while cleaning. As stated befoe I see these ones all over the place in yards and parks around suburbia.

The nominate form was found a few months back sunning itself on the bike path near my home, down along the river. I have probably seen about fifty of this form this summer, but only near the Missouri and Platte rivers, which agrees with most field guides that discuss the species.