Snakes often get a bad rap and sometimes with good reason—there are plenty of venomous snakes that are dangerous to pets and people in North America, including diamondback rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads. In spite of their reputation, though, there are many species of snakes that aren’t dangerous at all, and can actually help out in your garden with pest control. If you live in an area where these snakes thrive, they might be some of your best friends when battling anything from slugs to mice. In addition to keeping rodents in check near your veggies, you can rely on snakes to help battle lyme disease-carrying ticks as well, since they help keep their host animals in check.
Garter snakes
Garter snakes may be the most famous and most prolific of the friendly snakes of North America, eating bugs, slugs, and root-destroying rodents. They’re harmless to humans and most pets (but keep your pet frogs, lizards, and hamsters away from them). They are aquatic, and enjoy eating frogs, fish, and eggs, and they can adapt to a wide variety of environments, so they’re easy to attract.
Gopher snakes
An unsung hero of the snake family is the gopher snake. As their name implies, they feed on small rodents, including gophers, and can help keep pests that are attracted to sheds, garages, or the American lawn at bay. Finding one of these handsome reptiles in your vicinity means you’re getting tons of free pest control. They could be easy to confuse with rattlesnakes, but they don’t have light-colored banding around their tails, and they’re harmless to humans and pets.
King snakes
A beautiful and tough snake ally in areas where rattlesnakes live is the king snake. They are some of the strongest constrictors relative to their body size—and they eat rattlesnakes. They’re not venomous and are impervious to the venom of other snakes, making them great for keeping dangerous snakes away. There are five different species of this heroic reptile in North America, and they can range from stealthy black to a bright striped pattern. The striped version of a king snake can often be confused with the poisonous coral snake, but the way to tell the difference is to look to see whether the yellow and red bands are separated by a wide black stripe. If they are, you’ve got a king snake; if they aren’t, it’s a coral snake.
How to (safely) attract snakes
To encourage the presence of these helpful snakes, avoid using pesticides and look out for them before mowing your grass. Create places like rocky areas and taller grasses for them to hide in. Leaving some fallen leaves or some unmowed areas can help create a friendly habitat for them. Garter snakes also like water, so if you have a water feature in your garden, they will be able to feed on a wider array of prey.
Remember that if you see a snake, you shouldn’t approach it, and you should exercise caution in planning to attract snakes to your yard. If you live in an area where venomous snakes are common, consult your local fish and wildlife department, audubon society, or university extension so you don’t accidentally encourage dangerous snakes into your yard.