When you are walking near the edge of the water, it is good to look down from time to time. Sharp-eyed Walter Sanford, a fellow dragonfly fanatic, spotted this Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) as we were searching for dragonflies in Fairfax County, Virginia last Monday. This is a non-poisonous snake, but I have read that it will bite and the wound may bleed a lot, because its saliva contains a mild anticoagulant.
Three years ago I had an encounter with a similar snake and watched it capture and devour a catfish. If you missed that posting, click on this link and check out “Snake captures catfish“—if you are like me, you will be fascinated and slightly horrified by the encounter and may avoid wading in the water at the edge of rivers for a time.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
There are snakes where I live. I always watch out for them, terrifying creatures. I respect that they have their place in the eco system
Wow! Amazing—-both of your posts, Mike!
Blue Rock Horses Frederick County, Virginia bluerockhorses.com
Thanks, Mitzy. Even when I am looking for dragonflies, I try to keep my eyes open for other photo opportunities.
Nice Mike! I usually do not come across them too often! Which is fine by me😊
The last two times I’ve been out, I’ve been reminded to keep a sharper than usual eye out, thanks to our newly love-lorn alligators. I used to think their subtle bellows were bullfrogs. Now I know better. Like snakes, they really don’t want anything to do with us, but they can be unpredictable.
Fortunately I don’t have to worry about alligators here. I would need to be particularly wary, because I am fond of mucking about at the edge of swamps, just the kind of area that I suspect alligators like to frequent.
I somehow missed your previous post (thanks for the link!) and read it with total fascination. I did some further research and see that they can grow to 140 cm (55 inches), a very impressive size. You were really blessed to be able to watch and capture that amazing sequence. Outstanding!