San Francisco Garter Snake Silk
How uncommon is it to encounter striking good looks alongside a modest, unpretentious demeanor? As rare as it is to find this combination of traits, it’s increasingly hard to find this creature at all. This striped beauty, considered by many to be the most beautiful snake in North America, is endangered. Endemic to freshwater banks of ponds and streams in the San Francisco Bay area, its stripes blending with the matrix of reeds, much of this snake’s habitat has been lost to agriculture and urban development. Furthermore, young snakes are preyed upon by invasive bullfrogs, which also consume the garter snakes’ primary prey – the threatened California red-legged frog. As if that weren’t enough to be up against, these snakes are also poached illegally by zealous wildlife collectors. Let’s celebrate their radical beauty, and the quiet lives they’ve lived among the reeds for thousands of years, while they are still here. Go see some at the San Francisco zoo!
How uncommon is it to encounter striking good looks alongside a modest, unpretentious demeanor? As rare as it is to find this combination of traits, it’s increasingly hard to find this creature at all. This striped beauty, considered by many to be the most beautiful snake in North America, is endangered. Endemic to freshwater banks of ponds and streams in the San Francisco Bay area, its stripes blending with the matrix of reeds, much of this snake’s habitat has been lost to agriculture and urban development. Furthermore, young snakes are preyed upon by invasive bullfrogs, which also consume the garter snakes’ primary prey – the threatened California red-legged frog. As if that weren’t enough to be up against, these snakes are also poached illegally by zealous wildlife collectors. Let’s celebrate their radical beauty, and the quiet lives they’ve lived among the reeds for thousands of years, while they are still here. Go see some at the San Francisco zoo!
How uncommon is it to encounter striking good looks alongside a modest, unpretentious demeanor? As rare as it is to find this combination of traits, it’s increasingly hard to find this creature at all. This striped beauty, considered by many to be the most beautiful snake in North America, is endangered. Endemic to freshwater banks of ponds and streams in the San Francisco Bay area, its stripes blending with the matrix of reeds, much of this snake’s habitat has been lost to agriculture and urban development. Furthermore, young snakes are preyed upon by invasive bullfrogs, which also consume the garter snakes’ primary prey – the threatened California red-legged frog. As if that weren’t enough to be up against, these snakes are also poached illegally by zealous wildlife collectors. Let’s celebrate their radical beauty, and the quiet lives they’ve lived among the reeds for thousands of years, while they are still here. Go see some at the San Francisco zoo!
