As we watched the Garter Snake slide along the edge of our kitchen foundation I wondered, where is it going? He sure looked like he was searching for an opening.

I read yes, he very well could be looking for an opening in our foundation. When temperatures begin to drop, Garter Snakes seek an underground shelter called a hibernaculum, which could be a natural underground feature such as a rocky crevice, an abandoned animal burrow, or man-made structure like our basement. They enter a state of inactivity, called brumation when their metabolism slows significantly. From October through April the Garter Snake will live in its hibernaculum, only leaving if there is not snow cover enough and it needs to go deeper below the frost line. As spring temperatures warm, the male is the first to come out of brumation.

Garter Snakes are nearsighted. They use their highly developed sense of smell to detect predators and prey, flicking their tongues to draw in scent particles.  When they flick their tongues towards something specific, it can mean they sense danger. The snake was also lunging towards us however, you may have noticed, it has no teeth 🙂