This morning I went for a hike at the Noon Hill reservation in Medfield and about 2/3 of the way up the hill, I ran into this garter snake on the trail. I heard something move in the leaves, even though I was listening to my iPod, and spotted the snake right away. After getting out of my way, it remained motionless in the leaves while I pulled my camera out of its case. I needed to switch to my telephoto lens, but I wanted to get a shot or two before I made the switch in case the snake decided to bolt.
As soon as the shutter snapped for the first picture, the snake immediately rearranged itself into an attack stance… facing me with its head cocked back ready to strike if I got too close. Now, this may sound dramatic, but it’s just a garter snake and the worst it could have done to me is the equivalent of a mildly painful pinch. I wasn’t worried about it lunging at me, and it held that position while I fired off a bunch of shots. It probably lived there and was just trying to defend its home. The snake was very nice about the photo shoot, and we both went our separate ways after.
