Common name: smooth greensnake, grass snake
Scientific name: Opheodrys vernalis
The bright emerald green color of this snake's body with its white or pale yellow belly makes it easy to identify. In northern and central Wisconsin, adults are sometimes a lighter, pale yellow color. Rarely, you will find one that is brown. However, the young are always olive-green when they hatch. When these snakes die, their bodies turn pale blue.
The smooth part of its name comes from its unkeeled scales which give the snake a sleek, smooth look and texture. This beautiful little snake is one of only five Wisconsin snakes to have unkeeled scales.
You'll find these critters throughout most of Wisconsin in prairies, oak savannas, open areas in pine barrens, and grassy areas along forest edges. They eat insects, grubs, and worms.
