"If your garden runs through a wetland or has a stream or pond on it, you may find a garter snake around."
"Garter snakes, like many snakes, have teeth and jaws, which means that they can bite but they do not go looking for people to bite."
"The best way not to get a garter snake bite is to leave it alone. Do not try to kill it or hurt it or pick it up. People provoke most bites."
"Garter snakes were believed to be nonvenomous, but studies in the previous decade revealed they have a mild neurotoxic venom."
"Don't panic! Being bitten by a garter snake does not usually constitute a medical emergency, and there is no need to rush off to the Emergency Room."