Oregon red-spotted garter snake

Description:

Smallish snake (maybe 18" long) with bright orange sides with black inverted triangles, and a bright yellow stripe down the back. I think we called these "racers" when I was growing up, but not sure of what they are officially called.

Habitat:

Wetlands grass field, dry in summer. Temperate: Gets pretty hot there in summer--into the 90's--and never gets below 20 degrees. Dominant trees in the surrounding woods are ash, Ponderosa pine, and white oak.

Notes:

This field is heavily populated with tiny tree frogs during the late spring, and some persist into fall. This kind of snake was always easy for us kids to catch and handle, being pretty nonagressive and definitely harmless.