Something worse than scale!

[fawnridge]

Sitting motionless on a Yellow Excurrens outside my office window. I thought it was a twig from the tree above it. I don't know what kind of snake he is, but he's over 2 feet long.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Looks like a harmless garter.I have many snakes running through by shrubs especially 1 big black racer (5ft or so)

 

[Moose]

Yep, a Garter Snake just catching some morning rays to warm up. They feed on insects in your mulch, small lizards or a small mouse if it could find one. Harmless to humans, would never even strike unless cornered. His presence means you have a nice eco-system going on in your garden.

Black Racers shun humans and will usually put a rapid distance from one if so encountered. A beneficial snake like the Garter Snake. I have Coach Whip snakes in my garden, in the Black Racer family.

They don't hurt your crotons - not worse than scale.

Ricky - if you could train the Garter Snake to eat croton scale and then sucessfully breed them, you would attain $$$.