The Amazing Little Manitoba Red Garter Snake

T he Manitoba red garter          “hibernacula”. In essence these    snake is just plumb a most      wintering dens are limestone       amazing creature. Not only     sinkholes.                         does this little 20 inch snake                                           survive harsh minus forty (- 40)      However all it takes is a nice     degree cold winter Canadian           warm day in early spring and       weather but also travel as much       watch out. You will see hundreds   as 50 miles to do so.                 and hundreds of snakes pouring                                           out onto the nearby rocks.         The center for this hub of snake      Narcisse and the Narcisse          activity is a town called             Interlake snake pits will produce  Narcisse, in the Manitoba             in one days sighting more snakes   Interlake region west of the area     in one viewing than you will see   center of Gimli. This geographic      anywhere else in the world. There  area of Manitoba is called as         are tens of thousand of garter     such as it lies between the two       snakes in the limestone pits and   major glacial lakes of Lake           dens all waiting to come out.      Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba. What                                         makes this area so special that       First out in the springtime, are   in a glance you will see more         the male red sided garter snakes.  snakes than anywhere else in the      They emerge first more or less en  world – is the availability of        masse. Hundreds and even it may    limestone dens in the ground that     seem thousands may emerge all      serve as winter dens for the          once. The females appear soon      garter snakes. Although it’s          after, but singly or in small      plenty cold outside – the snakes      numbers. The emergence of the      are able to keep warm below the       female garter snakes is even       frost line of the earth by            spread over several weeks.         retreating and hibernating in                                            these limestone dens or               As each female garter snake        appears at the surface she will                                          be “mobbed” by male suitors.          Finally what are the best viewing  “Mating balls “ are formed ,          times of the year? Alternatively   consisting of a single female         there is the fall return of the    garter snake intertwined with as      garter snakes to the limestone     many as 100 males, each very          dens, as well as the spring        determined. The females are able      emergence.                         to signal to the male garter                                             snakes both their location and        For the spring time viewing        availability through chemical         events the latter part of April    odors and signals released            and the first three weeks in May   through their skins.                  are generally the best times to                                          visit the Narcisse Snake Dens.     This is all quite a sight and         During this time period the        very exciting. What is the best       snakes are preoccupied with their  time and place to view the            business of mating and are easily  springtime spectacle of the march     approached and viewed by visitors  of these Manitoba red garter          and tourists alike. If you can     snakes? The Narcisse Snake Den        try to arrive you’re with the      Area is located 130 km, or            disappearance and melting of snow  basically an hour an half north       and the first few hot sunny days   from the major center of              of spring. Do not be discouraged   Winnipeg. Alternatively its half      if the snow is already gone in     an hour west of the centers of        Winnipeg city. The snow and cold   Gimli and Winnipeg Beach.            will linger in the Manitoba                                              Interlake regions due to the       The Narcisse Snake Dens               major cooling effects of the two   themselves are located just off       major lakes – Lake Winnipeg and    the Highway # 17, six kilometers      Lake Manitoba. Spring will come    north of the town itself.             several weeks later in the         Narcisse snake den area. Lake         to make the journey to the         Winnipeg has plenty of ice yet –      limestone winter dens ahead of     it’s the 10’Th largest lake in        time. The garter snakes will       the world. Lake Manitoba is not       return to their dens in early      far off in size and weather           September. Once there they will    effects as well.                      remain active and available for                                          your viewing for several weeks     Lastly if you cannot make the         until the cool, wet autumn         spring snake viewing event there      weather signals for them to        is always fall time. At this          traverse the limestone cracks to   point the snakes have fattened up     the hibernation wintering dens.    over the winter and are getting       Of course it’s best to try to      ready for the winter hibernation.     choose to view the returning fall  The snakes will arrive at the         garter snake spectacle during the  pits long before it gets cold.        warm and sunny days. That way      Snakes are cold blooded and will      it’s more pleasant for you as      get sluggish in the colder fall       well as the snakes.                weather. Nature has taught them        About the Author Gimli Cabin Manitoba Fishing Hunting Outfiter Winnipeg Kids Theme Hotel Rooms Published At: www.Isnare.com