In talking about West Virginia’s snakes there are two non-venomous varieties that I would like to draw attention to. The first is the Northern Rough Greensnake. For people that are afraid of snakes and are likely to be watching the ground, this snake is more likely to be found in bushes and trees. I have encountered it hanging from branches of trees on a few occasions. They are very hard to spot because obviously their green color allows them to blend in with their background. Besides being a scary sight to those afraid of snakes, this one is harmless.
The other one is the Common Watersnake. I bring this one up because it is often mistaken for the Water Moccasin aka Cottonmouth which is very poisonous but the Cottonmouth is not found in West Virginia. The Watersnake has a bad reputation simply because it is found mostly in the water, but it is also harmless.
The following from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
NORTHERN ROUGH GREENSNAKE (Opheodrys a. aestivus)
This slender greensnake has a white or yellow belly, keeled scales and a tail that comprises one-third of its total length. Rough Greensnakes may attain a length of 45 inches and are usually found in vines, bushes or grass where it feeds on small insects and spiders. They occur at low elevations in the western and central parts of the state but are absent in the mountains where Smooth Greensnakes are found. Up to 14 small, elliptical, cream-colored eggs are deposited in loose earth or under debris. Greensnakes are harmless and docile.
COMMON WATERSNAKE (Nerodia s. sipedon)
On this snake the dorsal color pattern is a series of reddish-brown to black blotches on a background of pale gray to dark brown. The scales are heavily keeled. Their yellow to orange belly is liberally marked with dark crescent-shaped blotches. Watersnakes may exceed 4 feet in length. This is a very common and widely distributed species which is found along small streams, ponds and rivers where it feeds on fish, frogs and other aquatic animal life.
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There are 22 species of snakes living in the mountains and streams of West Virginia including the two poisonous varieties, the copperhead and the timber rattler.
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July 24th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Why does everyone have to talk about snakes? I don’t like snakes. Never have, never will.
Still, that was interesting information.
July 24th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
No more playing with snakes, I promise…
July 24th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
We saw a black water snake once while out driving around in the mountains once in Lincoln county. It was swimming right up the creek ahead of us. Thought for sure it was a water moccasin until I told you about it one time. The only other snake I’ve seen was a copperhead while riding my dirt bike near Chapmansville. I stopped to take a look around and saw it coiled up on a bank next to the road I was on. I was about 4 feet from it. I got out of there quick and flew past that spot coming back. I told my great uncle about it and where I had seen it. He grabbed a hoe or something, started walking and came back with it.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
http://www.oplin.org/snake/fact%20pages/
moccasin_water/moccasin_water.html
Appearance
The Water Moccasin looks a lot like the Northern Water Snake and the Lake Erie Water Snake. Its large body is darkly colored, and it lives around water and wet places.
The Water Moccasin is a larger snake, however. The adult is as much as 20 inches longer than the harmless Water Snakes.
Overall Range
Eastern coastal plain from Virginia to Texas; inland from Georgia to Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
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The water moccasin is one of the most dangerous snakes in North America.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
Well, I don’t mind reading about them so much, as long as I don’t have to see them or touch them.
It’s a phobia I’ve had all my life. Even a simple garden snake gives me the willies.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:07 pm
I can’t help but smile… I know what you mean. Same way with myself and spiders…
The difference being I get the willies from even looking at a spider photo. If you could only see the goose bumps on my arms now just thinking about them.