Field Herping in Southeastern Wisconsin?

[ArvadaLanee]

Field Herping means finding snakes in the wild for observation, right? Not collecting? Or is it both? Sorry! I'm new at this. Any way....I live in Southeastern WI, and I would love some tips on finding snakes in the wild. I would be finding them just for fun, observation, and photos. I have heard that there is a website to log all your sightings, which could be interesting. When I first moved to this frozen wasteland, I mean, state...I lived in a town about an hour and a half south of my current home, and there was a field behind our apartments where I started finding all these snakes. It was the first time I'd really been able to touch a snake, and I fell in love. To this day, I am not sure what kind of snakes those were. (I was about 12 then.) They were in groups hiding under these large chunks of broken up cement in the field. The grouping makes me think of Garter snakes, but I remember them being more green then any Garter snake I have read about. Could they have been some type of grass snake?
Skip ahead to my adult life, and I never forgot my slithery friends. I decided to buy my twin boys a corn snake, and it got me thinking and reading about snakes again. Maybe that's why, after years without seeing a single snake in the wild, last year, they started popping up. First, when we went camping, my boyfriend was startled by a large snake in a wood shed. He said it was huge, solid black on the top, with a yellow belly. I wish I'd seen it, so I could identify it! Later, my parents found a decent sized Garter snake in their garden, and soon after that, I saw a pair of Garters, that I believe we're mating, at a local park! I would love to spot a few more cuties this summer. Any tips or advice?
Thanks all!

[rlditmars]

Field Herping just means going out into the field and seeing what you can locate. You can take pics or collect (providing you are not breaking any state ordinances) or just simply observe. There are quite a few species in WI and here is a link that can help you identify what is around.

http://www.uncledavesenterprise.com/...0Wisconsin.pdf

I grew up in Michigan and caught tons of Garter, Ribbon, and Dekay's snakes. I also found some Hognose, Red Bellied, Blue Racers, Fox Snakes, Milk Snakes, Green Snakes, and Northern Water Snakes but they weren't as plentiful as Garters. If you can find fields where there are items like plywood or pallets, rock piles, etc., you may have some success finding a few snakes. Just be cautious when lifting items as there are a couple venomous snakes where you live. Massasauga Rattlers are not incredibly aggressive but they are venomous non-the-less.

Have fun and I hope to see some pics in the future.

[ArvadaLanee]

Thanks. I did know about the venomous ones. I believe we have 2 types here, but neither one of them are common in our area. I can't wait until it warms up! I just got a new camera for Christmas, and I want to get some good use out of it!

[chilliscale]

The Massasauga are awesome. If you are in their habitat just walk down by some marshy ground with crawfish burrows and watch your step. One of my favorite field finds