What kind of snake is this?

[PHXLavaVibe]

I caught this guy while pulling weeds in my front yard. I can't tell what kind it is but surprisingly it seemed very tame. I used a pole thingy to pick it up and put it in a bucket and it never once tried to strike at me or the pole. It just curled up and shook it's tail like a rattlesnake. It didn't even try to get away.I am thinking it is some kind of harmless garden snake, but I am certainly not an expert. I made sure to keep clear of it just in case it decided to strike. After taking pics of it I released it in a huge field across the street from my house.

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[PHXLavaVibe]

Here is a closer pic of it's head. Also, I forgot to mention it was approximately 2 feet long and an inch wide at it's thickest part.

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[Blanco_Diablo]

I think it's the CHECKERED GARTERSNAKE:http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Sn....html"A medium-sized (up to 1,088 mm or 43" in total length) light olive-green, tan, or yellow-green snake with a pale stripe down the middle of the back. An additional light stripe runs along each lower side on the third scale row (counting up from the belly). The dark areas between the stripes are marked by rows of dark, alternating, rectangular blotches that give the snake a checkerboard appearance. the dark blotches often intrude into the mid-dorsal stripe."Google FTW

[10vibe]

http://www.reptilesofaz.org/herp-snakes.htmlLooks like a Terrestrial or Checkered Gartersnake. Possibly a Narrowheaded garter. As long as it was not a Twin Spotted Rattler! I hate snakes. Love Arizona, but hate snakes. Probably a Terrestrial Garter. EDIT: Blanco, you beat me to it! I spent too much time looking at the pics and shivering like a girly girl. I need to" Pump it up!" I think you might be right and it is the Checkered Gartersnake.