Snakes

After church today I went for a brief walk and came upon this female water snake that could not see, definitely could not breathe out of its nostrils, and most likely could not feed.  I taped it at 37" and it was skinny. This was the 3rd time I have seen this particular snake (in this condition) over the past month.  It looked like it either had an earlier snake fungal lesion or an injury that prevented its shed skin from coming off properly.  I decided this time that I would take it home, then soak it in warm water and try to free the buildup off of its head.  

After about 10 minutes in the warm bath, the stuck skin started to come off, and I was able to get most of the mass off of its head.  Afterward, it definitely could see and also breathe out of its nostrils again.  Following this, I took a quick drive to the bait store and bought 1 dozen small fatheads ($1.70).  I fed the snake in a 10-gallon aquarium, where it happily consumed all 12 fatheads.  Now, I'm going to take it back to where I found it and let it go.

Pics of "before", "after", and feeding it before its release.

I came across this water snake today that had just consumed a very large meal.

Finally something to add.  Fox snake that I found in Western MN.  Also saw I think a bull snake and a few garter snakes (one had red stripping).  Was good to see a few snakes, handled the fox snake-very tame, both daughters held it too.

​https://youtube.com/shorts/I70FqtXVmew?si=TjE969jnZVsJxAIR​​​

Thanks SM, I knew you would set me straight on the snake ID's.   
Interesting on the eye features for identifying venomous and non-venomous.  

Fowler,
That's pretty cool to see that. I wonder if that water snake successfully swallowed that filleted trout.   When panfishing with my kids years ago, northern water snakes would chase their little bluegills back to shore, sometimes grabbing them while they were still on the hook.

Forgive me, but I couldn't help but blow up your photos to identify the snake species.  After review, I believe the snakes in your photographs are Midland Water Snakes (common in Arkansas), a subspecies of the Northern Water Snake (found in WI).  Midland Water Snakes vary in coloration from somewhat similar to a northern water snake to a very light background color (almost copperhead base color like).  Upon blowing up your pictures, the pupils on the snakes you photographed are round, so they are definitely not venomous snakes.

Below are 2 comparators with pics of Midland Water Snakes next to the snakes you saw.  The bar pattern and coloration are a match for the Midland Water Snake.

Update: 2 minutes after me posting (Fowler - I just read your update to your posting)

Not in Wi....but for the snake lovers...
Today working trail maintenance in the National Forest. We came upon a fella cleaning his morning catch of Rainbow trout. 
As the entrails tumbled downstream, here comes the cleanup crew. I was amazed how quickly snakes respond when food is in the water. 
Had a water moccasin aka Cottonmouth quickly taking aim on a 12-14" rainbow. Had another unidentified snake come around. Kinda looked like a Copperhead but may have been a common water snake. All this activity was within 5-10ft of the fella cleaning fish. 
Update ~ I guess per my wifes FB snake group buddies, the large snake is a common water snake. I was taking guidance from the fisherman that we were admiring a Cottonmouth in action. I guess I feel a little better not sharing the area with a ​venomous type snake.

Also, here is a pic of a Timber Rattlesnake a guy I know took this spring.  It was coiled in the leaf litter and silent.  If you weren't looking for it intentionally, you may never know it was there if it didn't rattle.

Despite the cooler air temps and the high NW winds, I spotted 25 or so snakes this weekend.  Most of them were extremely concealed, except for the water snake in the pic below.

Cool. Post the pic if you can find it.  The Plains Garter Snake can also have an orange middle stripe (see pic below).  Those are an inhabitant of your area.  Your pic will answer the question for sure.

That was a different pic I believe SM.  This one had an orange stripe down his back just like the one in your photo!

I'll see if I can find it.

Brent,
I remember the photo of that small snake you saw.  From my recollection, that was a baby Chicago Garter Snake, a subspecies of the Eastern Garter Snake.  Those are very common in SE Wisconsin.

The 2 ribbon snake species in WI, the Eastern Ribbon Snake and Western Ribbon Snake are both endangered species in this state and are not found in your specific area.

FWIW, there are 5 species of "garter" snakes in WI (genus Thamnophis); Eastern Garter Snake (with subspecies Chicago Garter Snake), Plains Garter Snake, Butler's Garter Snake, Eastern Ribbon Snake, and Western Ribbon Snake.

I saw one of those and the Fox River a few years ago SM!

It was just a baby, maybe 8 inches long.

A few years ago after we moved our hunting cabin to the opposite end of the property, there was a big pile of concrete blocks left behind so I spent an afternoon cleaning it up and putting it in a pile. I forget what time of year it was, but it had to of been whenever snake eggs hatch because I would guess I saw several thousand baby snakes that day. I would pick up a concrete block and 5 would slither away. And what a terrible smell! I don't know what the smell was from, but it was awful! 
Anyways, heading to the cabin this weekend and hoping to do a little 'snake hunting'. You have me interested in trying to get better at spotting snakes, SM!

I found this Western Ribbon Snake today.  This is an endangered species in WI, found in only a handful of locations.