What a beautiful snake. I can't match the color exactly and can't see enough of the head to help but the closest I can get to an ID in my Peterson Field Guide is one of three possibilities. Those are a young Northern Brown Snake or a color variation of an Eastern Ribbon Snake or a color variation of an Eastern Garter Snake. This is the disadvantage of trying to do an ID from a photo comparing it to a photo or painting. To top it off I have no real sense of scale, it can't be turned over and my eyesight is lousy for detail.
On the plus side there aren't many snakes to choose from in Ohio. What the picture shows is nothing like a copperhead or rattlesnake which are the only two venomous snakes that might be anywhere near you. I hope this helps at least a little. It was fun trying to find it. Sandy

Thanks, Sandy. I'm glad to hear it is most likely not poisonous. That being said, I still don't like it and don't want it near my pond! It was about two feet in length. I'm going to look up the possibilities you gave me and see if I can identify.

Every boy knows that's a Gardner Snake. 2 footer? Probably looking for a date or a drink or both. Leave it alone and it'll do it's part in nature. Just let her do her thing. Totally harmless unless you are an 8 year old boy holding a 32 inch fully mature momma. :) They'll wet all over you before anything bad can happen and the bite does not hurt because they have small jaws..

I found a little one near one of my ponds. Actually just the skin, looks like a Gardner as well. Snakes are a good sign that your ecosystem can support a friendly predator. They eat insects.

Looks like a Garter snake to me too.

The first time I needed to ID a snake for real, I was talking to a Herpatologist on the phone. I discovered I had no idea what he was talking about and he didn't understand me until I said the words "It looks like Chevrons". Result:a wasted hour and a bad ID. Another time I was called by a truly frantic woman who had been told there were snakes in the house but no one knew where or what kind. A little corn meal located two snakes in the kitchen and their hiding places but it took a while to get an ID and only then because I was using a Guide for that part of the country.
Garter snakes are not found in all states and certainly not all types share the same area. And there are a bunch of different garter snakes and ribbon snakes. Not all look alike. I'll check the guide, thank you. Sandy

Your snake is definitely an Eastern Garter Snake.

Also for additional peace of mind about snakes in your area, the only venomous snake in NW Ohio is the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake and they are such extreme habitat specialists that they are only found in a very few isolated habitat-specific locations (range maps show a contiguous range for them but their actual presence consists of only a few scattered habitat island dots within range, and not the entire contiguous range shown on the maps). Ohio's other two venomous snakes are found in Southern Ohio: copperheads and timber rattlesnakes.