I KNOW IT'S FLOWER FRIDAY

It IS Flower Friday....but other than snow flowers there's not much to see plant-wise in these parts this time of year.  So....snakes, it is!  This group lives in the zoo in Milwaukee...the wild ones are in their hibernaculum for the winter.
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This is a Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), one of the Pit Vipers common in the eastern U.S. If you look closely, you'll see the "pits" located under its eyes. They contain IR heat sensors which allows the snake to locate its warm-blooded (homeothermic) prey in total darkness. They are found in western Wisconsin, west of the Wisconsin River toward the Mississippi River. They are abundant and of least concern.
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They can get rather large...maybe 5 feet long but are a lot smaller than the Eastern Diamondback...which is not found in Wisconsin.  Although abundant, you're not likely to run into one unless you frequent their habitat and are unobservant concerning their habits.  Being cold-blooded (poikilothermic) they like to spend time in the sun early in the mornings, especially cold mornings, warming themselves.  That means they'll be most likely seen sunning on the east side of hills in the bluff country.  People who live in snake country learn early on to LOOK over fallen trees and big rocks before they step over them.
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Although very venomous, venomous enough to kill a human being, Timber Rattlers are not very aggressive and, if you respect their space, they will not bother you.....and they are kind enough to use their rattle to warn you of their presence, although they are deaf and cannot hear their own noise-maker.  I have actually spent time looking for them and have seldom seen any.
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Here's a video which will give you all the information you need to know about living with Timber Rattlers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwndBNY-EoA
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Best seen in Large.