As warmer summer temperatures arrive and individuals spend more time outside, they may soon have to ask themselves, ‘is that a snake or a stick?’ While there are no venomous species in our direct area, it is important to know what to do - and what not to - when it comes to snakes.

“Keep an eye open for snakes,” advises Josh Martinez, the District Ecologist for the DNR in Northeast Wisconsin, “just keep your distance, no need to go and approach them and pick them up, and they’ll leave you alone.”

Martinez is a snake expert in this portion of the state and says species, like Gartersnakes, Fox Snakes, and Brownsnake, found in Door County are harmless. Being cold blooded, snakes can be found stretching out in the sun on bluff bedrock or moving through the tall grasses around the peninsula. 

In Wisconsin, it is often a myth that a snake will lash out at an individual walking by them, but if provoked, like any animal, they will bite. If a snake bite does occur, wash and clean the wound properly to prevent bacterial infections and consult a physician if the bite develops any signs of infection.

“If you are bitten by a snake, which is going to be a result of you trying to capture a snake or picking up a snake, they’ll bite you in self-defence,” added Martinez.

According to Martinez, snake bites in this part of Wisconsin are uncommon but that beyond the stigma surrounding snakes, having them around is beneficial to the ecosystem.

“The diversity of different snakes in Door County and the abundance also helps give us a good indicator that we have a high productivity system that’s still in very good balance,” he said, “as a result, you know, you see snakes on the landscape that’s telling you that we do have a good, healthy system that we're living in up here.”