This apparent erratic movement is called "retrograde motion." The illusion also happens with Jupiter and the other planets that orbit farther from the sun. Just to make things a little more odd, the orbits that Earth and Mars follow don't quite lie in the same plane.
The garter snakes are distinguished by the three stripes running the length of their body and can often be found in forests, places that are even close to water bodies, and almost any place, even in holes.
