Two Snakes

I was just thinking how strange it was that we hadn't seen any snakes in our yard yet, and then yesterday afternoon I opened our front door and a tiny Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi) tumbled off the step and into the flower bed. I found it curled up as perfect as could be under a fallen leaf, and it was nice enough to stay still for a portrait (with a quarter for scale):
 

What an adorable little creature!
 

I covered the little Brown Snake again with its leaf, and when I checked the spot a few minutes later, the little creature had moved on.
 
Later that same afternoon, we uncovered a second snake -- an Eastern Garter Snake this time -- under a wood pile. Something seems to have nibbled on this snake's tail at some point, but it was a very handsome creature nonetheless:
 

This snake was quite patient with me and my looming camera lens:
 

But this guy eventually wandered off as well. I'm glad to count these awesome creatures among our neighbors!