Melanistic Morph Eastern Gartersnake | Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis | Couleuvre rayée
Almost 30% of the gartersnakes on Pelee Island are the beautiful melanistic (dark) form of the species. This is a much higher proportion than is found among mainland populations. The relative rarity elsewhere can lead to some confusion, with visitors to the island occasionally confusing melanistic gartersnakes with the endangered Blue Racer. The black gartersnakes can also be misidentified as Lake Erie Watersnakes, which can be similarly dark.
Spring 2017 on Pelee Island was my first serious effort at snake photography (that is, devoting more than five minutes to the project). Step one was a concerted search for subjects, which involved turning over a lot of boards. Step two was temporarily moving the subjects a metre or two to more photogenic backgrounds. Step three was retaining the assistance of a lighting technician who lit the scene with a small LED light panel (you can see the rectangular highlight in the snake's eye). Step four was quickly taking a lot of picutres from different angles. Step five was carefully returning the snake to its underboard home.
Melanistic Morph Eastern Gartersnake | Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis | Couleuvre rayée
Almost 30% of the gartersnakes on Pelee Island are the beautiful melanistic (dark) form of the species. This is a much higher proportion than is found among mainland populations. The relative rarity elsewhere can lead to some confusion, with visitors to the island occasionally confusing melanistic gartersnakes with the endangered Blue Racer. The black gartersnakes can also be misidentified as Lake Erie Watersnakes, which can be similarly dark.
Spring 2017 on Pelee Island was my first serious effort at snake photography (that is, devoting more than five minutes to the project). Step one was a concerted search for subjects, which involved turning over a lot of boards. Step two was temporarily moving the subjects a metre or two to more photogenic backgrounds. Step three was retaining the assistance of a lighting technician who lit the scene with a small LED light panel (you can see the rectangular highlight in the snake's eye). Step four was quickly taking a lot of picutres from different angles. Step five was carefully returning the snake to its underboard home.