Reptiles of Southern Interior British Columbia

Slithering Pest Patrol in the Xeric Garden

They fill a unique niche, eating a phenomenal amount of insects, slugs and other pests, including mice. There are benefits of having reptiles around - they are the perfect pest control - quiet, efficient and deadly. I get visits by many garter snakes of various colours and sizes, a yellow bellied racer, as well as the endangered Pacific rattlesnake and occasionally I see a Rubber Boa.

In many cases, venomous snakes are afraid of garter snakes and won’t inhabit the same territory.

Garter snakes can swim, and sadly, one of their favorite meals is young fish making it almost impossible to be over populated with the goldfish in my pond. They also eat many mice and other vermin, as well as slugs and insects.

Unfortunately, some of the larger snakes also will eat eggs of chickens and other birds, as well as young nestlings of migratory songbirds that may be left unprotected.

Loss of wildlife habit due to urban encroachment and recreational use is a disturbing trend, and luckily for reptiles and other wildlife, the protection of the fragile desert ecosystem is now recognized as an important step.
Frogs such as the Pacific tree frog and the spring peepers can be heard creaking their spring and summer song, the tree frog sporadically and alone, the spring peeper in a chorus in the pond.

Spring peepers lay many eggs in a clump of jelly-like frog spawn, where the young tadpoles can be visibly growing, until they hatch out into free swimming larvae.

After a while, their tails get shorter, and legs appear, then they can crawl out onto land if they please, to go back to water to lay their own eggs as adults.

Lizards and other reptiles that spend all their lives on land such as Alligator Lizards, and the amphibious salamanders which spend part of their life in water are very useful partners in the garden.

All are torpid and hibernate in winter, and being cold blooded you may spot them basking on a warm log or rock during spring and summer days to warm themselves.

They're hard to spot as they are masters of mimicry and blend in perfectly with the texture of the bark.

They can only move with speed once they’re warm.

Female Alligator lizards bask to gestate the live young that they carry, sometimes as many as five or six.

Reptiles, being cold blooded, like to bask on rocks, and sometimes other not so wise places, such as roads. Many snakes fall victim to the automobile as they innocently try and warm their cold blood in a dangerous place.

Reptiles and amphibians are delicate and super sensitive to disturbance and pollution. In many cases they are the canary in the coal mine, reacting to minute changes in the environment especially ultraviolet light.

Where you see reptiles and amphibians, you know that the habitat is healthy and diverse.

Help them out by building a bog garden, hibernacula, den or pond in your xeric garden to provide valuable habitat for these fascinating and helpful creatures.

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