Dan, that's a beautiful Garter snake. I'm glad it wasn't hurt. We have several places we leave undisturbed because a Garter or Milk snake (often several) frequents the place. They are very helpful to have around.

Backwoodsman- Don't you love it when your brain plays tricks! I've not seen your Grass or Adder snakes, but would love to. We do have a little snake called the Red-bellied snake
that lives on our land, and we protect them like crazy. They're also non-poisonous, small enough for our bantams to be a threat to them.