Virtual Tour of Snake Dens!

by Paula Johanson

 The Covid-19 pandemic is still affecting everyone during the fall of 2021, even nature centres in outdoor parks. Many nature centres have been closed to the public for most of the past eighteen months. Some centres open or close according to provincial health guidelines. One of those nature centres is Narcisse Snake Dens in Manitoba near the town of Gimli.

This park showcases a fascinating phenomenon! Every autumn, thousands of garter snakes find their way to hide together in underground dens. There they hibernate together, sleeping during the long, cold winters in Manitoba. When spring comes, the snakes emerge and go their separate ways. Take a moment to click on this link, and follow a virtual tour around the trail that shows you several snake dens. Right now in the fall of 2021, garter snakes are gathering at their dens getting ready to hibernate.

Now, maybe snakes aren't your thing, or you're actually scared of snakes. It's okay to be cautious around rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes! But in Manitoba, snakes are not dangerous to humans. Most are garter snakes, and other types listed here at this link. 

What can you do if you're afraid of snakes? It's a good idea to learn more about nature where you live, whether you're on the Prairies in Canada, or anywhere in the world. That will help you to know how much caution around snakes is smart for your area. All snakes have important roles in the natural world. Garter snakes in a Canadian garden or yard are a good sign that this place is healthy for nature.

You can read more about Narcisse Snake Dens and about nature in Manitoba at the online magazine Nature North when you click on this link. They have a lot of information about wild animals and cottage country, and a YouTube channel of videos as well. There's also a link to the Manitoba Herps Atlas of reptiles and amphibians in Manitoba, a terrific resource that maps where people have seen snakes, frogs and toads, salamanders, and turtles. (Herps is the nickname used for amphibians and reptiles, by scientists called herpetologists.)

Omigod SNAKES!!!!!

Posted by Helaine Becker

DO NOT READ THIS. If you go squirmy at the thought of snakes. Because last week I was in Manitoba for TD Canada Children's Book Week. The beginning of May also happens to be when the garter snakes come out of hibernation. By the thousands. The tens of thousands. And when they wake up, they want to, ahem, get busy.

The town of Narcisse, Manitoba is home to the largest congregation of Red Sided Garter snakes anywhere. In May you can give yourself the major creeps just hearing them rustle in the grass- or pick up a ball of mating snakes...

Image from Nature North

Alas, because of the cold winter, I was a bit too early to experience peak snake freakout. But I did still manage to see quite a few slithery serpents on a farm in Boissevain. More snakes than I'd ever seen in my life in one place. I didn't bother to count....*runs for the non-existent hills*

For more on the Red-Sided Garter Snake, go to Nature North's website. And if you want to experience one of the natural wonders of the world, plan a trip to Manitoba in May. You might catch a glimpse of a few snakes  - or a visiting author. :)

That's me "doing work" on the Boissevain farm - no,
I won't be scooping up snakes!