Garter Snakes and their strange link to old timey socks

The Burke Museum has a lot of Garter Snakes, over 1,200 to be exact. But most of these specimens, which range from the early 1900's to the modern day, haven't been identified as one of the three native species of garter snake in Washington state. You might think this would be pretty simple, after all different species often look pretty different, but differentiating these snakes is anything but simple.

Come about learn about our native garter snakes with Herpetology Collection Manager Peter Miller and how to identify these amazing creatures. Oh, and you'll also learn how they got named after old timey socks in the first place!