Spring and summer in New York bring a burst of activity to the outdoors – flowers bloom, birds sing, and a variety of wildlife — including snakes — make their seasonal appearance. For many homeowners, an unexpected encounter with a snake in the yard or garden can be a bit startling.
While such encounters can evoke a range of emotions such as surprise, fear, curiosity, or even disdain, it’s important to approach them with understanding and a calm perspective.
Instead of reacting impulsively and harming them, it helps to recognize that snakes play a vital role in our natural communities as they fill a variety of ecological niches and contribute to the rich natural diversity of wildlife that occupy our shared landscape. 2025 is the year of the snake, after all!
One benefit snakes provide is pest control. By preying on insects, rodents, and other small animals, having snakes around may help prevent the need to use potentially harmful chemicals such as insecticides and rodenticides. These chemicals can harm the target species as well as non-target wildlife, including humans.
Smaller, more widespread species, such as eastern garter, northern brown, and smooth green snakes, consume pests such as slugs, caterpillars, and other invertebrates that can be damaging to garden produce and ornamentals.
Larger species with more restricted distributions, such as ratsnake and copperhead, ambush and consume their fair share of rodents that can otherwise be a detriment to our homes and living spaces.
Armed with this information, the next time you happen upon one of our states’ seventeen species of native snakes while working or relaxing in your backyard space, consider simply observing from a distance rather than reacting in fear.
Take a moment to appreciate the value that our state’s legless vertebrate friends embody in relation to the natural environment and share this perspective with family and friends.
Note that all native snakes are protected by law in New York State (Environmental Conservation Law and NYCRR Title 6, Section 3.3).
If you’re unsure about the species of a snake you’ve encountered, check out the snake identification chart on the DEC website.
You can also view the New York State snake distribution maps from the NYSDEC Herp Atlas Project (PDF).
Read more about snakes in New York State.
Photo of common garter snake by William Hoffman, provided by DEC.
Source link
