Water Snakes in and around Lake Thoreau
What would a lake be like without a few snakes? Especially water snakes?
The photo of the snake at left was taken on May 18, 2009 as it swam by our boat. It eventually went up through a storm water drainage pipe and then who knows where.
We have a possible snake hole (image below) that has evolved every year in our yard near the dockboat. I keep watching and waiting but have yet seen anything coming up through the hole – perhaps it is a crayfish hole – but the telltail mud balls mound is absent.
In trying to identify the snake above, I research the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries website with information on amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
Snakes that might be found in our freshwater environment include:
- common ribbonsnake
- eastern gartersnake
- eastern hog-nosed snake
- eastern kingsnake
- eastern milksnake
- eastern ratsnake
- eastern smooth earthsnake
- eastern wormsnake
- mole kingsnake
- northern copperhead (venomous)
- northern red-bellied snake
- northern ring-necked snake
- northern rough greensnake
- northern watersnake
- Plus other snake profiles on the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries -
- website.
found a snake slithering by as I was power-washing my dock boat today, either northern water-snake or diamondback, very similar colors….not the first time on our boat
By: Rudi on 04/27/2013
at 11:01 pm