Thamnophis radix

I caught this little plains garter snake to show as part of a local reptile/amphibian presentation I'll be holding in a few weeks.  This species has always been one of my favorite snakes.  In spite of their relative abundance, they are some of the most interesting and beautiful of all the snakes I've seen in my years (though I'm sure I could say that about any species!)  They were some of the first snakes I ever caught as a kid in Chicago.