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Eastern Plains gartersnake (Thamnophis radix)
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Family: Colubridae
Size: 20-28 in.
Status: Locally Common
Description: This is a medium-sized snake. The yellow to yellow-orange lateral stripes are found on scale rows three and four. Its dorsal background is dark brown to olive, with two rows of alternating dark spots above the lateral stripes and one below. The underside is yellow to yellowish-green with black spots on the outer edge of the belly scales. Eastern plains gartersnakes are found in moist, open grassy areas in prairies and oak savannas and along open river margins. This species appears to hybridize with the Butler’s gartersnake in Wisconsin’s seven southeastern counties. Their diet consists of frogs, earthworms, salamander larvae, tadpoles, fish and beetles.
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