Garter snake females give live birth rather than laying eggs! Specifically, the female keeps the eggs in her body where they grow safely, and then she gives birth to live young when the eggs hatch in late-summer/early-fall. This adaptation helps keeps the eggs safer from predators than if she were to lay eggs like many other snakes do. Keep an eye out for larger and larger garter snakes as the summer progresses, as eggs in females grow.