Photo of the Week – Santa Rosa Plateau Garter Snake
Garter Snake on the Santa Rosa Plateau
Every spring, after the rains, the Santa Rosa Plateau comes alive with life. The vernal pools are full, the wildflowers are blooming, and the wildlife are coming out of hibernation.
The garter snake population is particularly active and in the middle of mating season. They seem to hang out at the edge of the vernal pools; the thicker females can have as many as 10-15 males around them at a time.
As you walk the boardwalk over the vernal pool, a snake might pop up from the bottom for a breath of air and swim on the surface for a minute or two. That’s what this little guy was doing before he disappeared toward the bottom again.
The image was taken with a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 lens at 200mm. The exposure was for 1/320 at f8 and an ISO of 640.
Tags: 70-200, Images, Santa Rosa Plateau, Wildlife