species of wild snake

Question
Are you able to identify this snake. Here in Southern Ontario garter snakes are extremely common. But twice I have come across a snake I cannot identify - a shortish (18 inches) chunky snake with subdued colouration - with alternating broad bands of washed-out bluish slate grey and dull brick red. In 13 years I have only seen two examples of this species (years apart) - once secreted in a garden woodpile in fall (where there also happened to be a garter snake) and once in a dry culvert.
Can you help.
Tony

Answer
Hi Tony:
I can only guess without a picture but from your description and location I would say

#1: Western Garter Snake,                Thamnophis atratus
#2: Black necked garter snake            Thamnophis c. cyrtopsys
#3: Northwestrn Garter snake             Thamnophis rufipunctatus
#4: Red spotted garter snake             Thamnophis s. concinnus
#5: Red sidded garter snake              Thamnophis s. parietalis
#6: Arid Lans ribbon snake               Thamnophis p. diabolicus
#7: Blue striped ribbon snake            Thamnophis s. nitae

I wish I could do better but it may have been an intergrade with two differing parents or some snake that escaped its keeper.  If you get a picture of it please send it in, I would love to see it.  I am not familiar with your area and its proximity to water, it could be a water snake of the Nerodia genus? its hard to say.

  Good luck and carry a camera phone
               Joel