Common name: northern red-bellied snake
Scientific name: Storeria occipitomaculaa
How to identify them
Red-bellied snakes are pretty easy to identify, because of their (you guessed it) red or orange bellies. Their backs are usually reddish-brown to steel gray with a broad light band down the middle of the back with two narrow, darker stripes on each side.
Where they live
They live in a variety of habitats. You can find them in boreal forests, sphagnum bogs, and northern and southern hardwood forests, and adjacent fields.
What they eat
Red-bellied snakes eat slugs, earthworms, and beetle larvae (yum!).
Did you know?
These snakes are very common in Wisconsin. On warm, sunny days in the fall, they're often seen in large numbers soaking up the sun on back roads and bike trails. If you're out biking the trails this fall, keep your eyes open for these little, red-bellied creatures.