re: Snake ID

I do notice the stripe... on THAT one. But garters are quite polymorphic. They don't all have clear stripes, although you can see signs of stripes near the head and sides on the original photo. I doubt that the one in the OP's photo is even a checkered garter (Thamnophis marcianus). It's probably a common or "eastern" garter (Thamnophis sirtalis), depending on location.