Last week I spotted this Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) alongside a creek during a hike in Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia. Water Snakes are not venomous, but I remember reading that their saliva contains an anti-coagulant, so I am reluctant to get so close to one that I risk getting bitten.
Most of the Northern Water Snakes that I have previously seen have been a uniform dark color, but this snake has a beautiful striped pattern on its underside that is visible in this photo. This snake seemed to be simply sunning itself, absorbing the warmth of the spring sunshine.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great Northern water snakes is what we have along with Milk Snakes both for me here on the river are welcome to swim right on by my place 🙂 I had one in my kitchen a year ago Mother’s Day. I still question where it came in at and yes, they bite but we mostly may want to die because of the pain they leave you with 🙂
Thanks for providing your personal perspective, confirming what I have read about the painful bite that a northern water snake can deliver. I’m hoping that I never get the chance to experience such a bite myself. 🙂
Me to stay safe out there with your camera!
All of the Great Northern water snakes I have encountered have all been much darker. The rusty brown colours of this fellow are lovely. I have been looking forward to seeing snakes sunning themselves now that temperatures have increased but I have yet to meet my first snake of the year.
That’s my experience too. I don’t know if the brown coloration varies by age or whether it varies from individual to individual. It’s definitely cool that I was able to photograph the snake in a way that showed that colorful banding.