Snakes and spiders in Polk County, Florida
Polk County, home of Bartow, has 24 snake and 38 spider species on record, from 290 licensed snake and 300 spider records. Venomous species here: the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the Florida cottonmouth, the eastern coral snake, the pygmy rattlesnake, the red widow, the brown widow and the southern black widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Polk County?
Yes. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake: 14 licensed records, 4% of all Florida records of it. The Florida cottonmouth: 9 licensed records, 2% of all Florida records of it. The eastern coral snake: 6 licensed records, 3% of all Florida records of it. The pygmy rattlesnake: 4 licensed records, 1% of all Florida records of it. The red widow: 8 licensed records, 50% of all Florida records of it. The brown widow: 4 licensed records, 3% of all Florida records of it. The southern black widow: 4 licensed records, 8% of all Florida records of it.
What snakes are in Polk County?
In all, 24 snake species are on the Polk County list. The most recorded are the eastern racer (72), the Florida crowned snake (27) and the southern watersnake (24).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Florida records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 72 | 4% |
| 2 | Florida crowned snake Tantilla relicta | 27 | 15% |
| 3 | Southern watersnake Nerodia fasciata | 24 | 2% |
| 4 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | 21 | 3% |
| 5 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 19 | 11% |
| 6 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus adamanteus | 14 | 4% |
| 7 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | 10 | 1% |
| 8 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 10 | 2% |
| 9 | Florida cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon conanti | 9 | 2% |
| 10 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 7 | 1% |
| 11 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | 7 | 7% |
| 12 | Brahminy blindsnake introduced Indotyphlops braminus | 6 | 3% |
| 13 | Eastern coral snake venomous Micrurus fulvius | 6 | 3% |
| 14 | Striped crayfish snake Liodytes alleni | 6 | 2% |
| 15 | Black swamp snake Liodytes pygaea | 5 | 1% |
| 16 | Brown water snake Nerodia taxispilota | 5 | 1% |
| 17 | Eastern kingsnake Lampropeltis getula | 5 | 3% |
| 18 | Pygmy rattlesnake venomous Sistrurus miliarius | 4 | 1% |
| 19 | Mud snake Farancia abacura | 3 | 2% |
| 20 | Florida green water snake Nerodia floridana | 2 | 0% |
| 21 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 2 | 1% |
| 22 | Scarlet snake Cemophora coccinea | 2 | 1% |
| 23 | Florida brown snake Storeria victa | 1 | 1% |
| 24 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | — | — |
When are snakes out in Polk County?
Observation records of snakes in Polk County run through most of the year, peaking in May with 14% of them; across Florida the peak is March.
What spiders are in Polk County?
In all, 38 spider species are on the Polk County list. The most recorded are the regal jumper (23), the black-and-yellow argiope (20) and the green lynx spider (20). Polk County holds more than half of all Florida records of the red widow.
| # | Species | Records | Share of Florida records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regal jumper Phidippus regius | 23 | 11% |
| 2 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 20 | 6% |
| 3 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 20 | 4% |
| 4 | American golden orb weaver Trichonephila clavipes | 19 | 2% |
| 5 | Leucauge argyrobapta | 18 | 3% |
| 6 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | 18 | 2% |
| 7 | Red-femured spotted orbweaver Neoscona domiciliorum | 10 | 8% |
| 8 | Florida garden spider Argiope florida | 9 | 19% |
| 9 | Gray wall jumper Menemerus bivittatus | 8 | 2% |
| 10 | Red widow venomous Latrodectus bishopi | 8 | 50% |
| 11 | Greater leucauge Leucauge argyra | 7 | 1% |
| 12 | Tropical orb weaver Eriophora ravilla | 7 | 2% |
| 13 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | 6 | 3% |
| 14 | Huntsman spider Heteropoda venatoria | 6 | 6% |
| 15 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 5 | 5% |
| 16 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | 4 | 6% |
| 17 | Brown widow venomous introduced Latrodectus geometricus | 4 | 3% |
| 18 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | 4 | 8% |
| 19 | Workman's jumper Phidippus workmani | 4 | 11% |
| 20 | Basilica orbweaver Mecynogea lemniscata | 3 | 7% |
| 21 | Canopy jumping spider Phidippus otiosus | 3 | 11% |
| 22 | Hogna osceola | 3 | 14% |
| 23 | Pantropical jumper Plexippus paykulli | 3 | 9% |
| 24 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 3 | 2% |
| 25 | Apache jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus | 2 | 25% |
| 26 | Global tentweb weaver Cyrtophora citricola | 2 | 4% |
| 27 | Magnolia green jumper Lyssomanes viridis | 2 | 1% |
| 28 | Arrowshaped micrathena Micrathena sagittata | 1 | 1% |
| 29 | Box spider Crossopriza lyoni | 1 | 2% |
| 30 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | 1 | 3% |
| 31 | Habronattus brunneus | 1 | 4% |
| 32 | McCrone's burrowing wolf spider Geolycosa xera | 1 | 17% |
| 33 | Paramaevia michelsoni | 1 | 17% |
| 34 | Rabidosa hentzi | 1 | 3% |
| 35 | Slender nursery web spider Pisaurina undulata | — | — |
| 36 | Southern house spider Kukulcania hibernalis | — | — |
| 37 | Sylvan jumping spider Colonus sylvanus | — | — |
| 38 | Twin-flagged jumping spider Anasaitis canosa | — | — |
When are spiders out in Polk County?
Observation records of spiders in Polk County run through most of the year, peaking in September with 16% of them; across Florida the peak is April.
What stands out in Polk County
Species for which Polk County holds a large share of all Florida records: the Florida crowned snake, 15% (27 of 179).
Common in Florida, not on the Polk County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Florida, these do not reach the county list: the Burmese python (8,141 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Polk County
No copperheads reach the county list, but the eastern copperhead is on the Florida list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the corn snake, the eastern hog-nosed snake and the eastern rat snake. Cottonmouths are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the southern watersnake, the brown water snake, the mud snake and the Florida green water snake. Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the eastern hog-nosed snake. Coral snakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the scarlet snake. Recluse spiders are not on the Florida list, but GBIF holds 1 recluse spider record of any license in Florida (brown recluse 1): treat any spider like this as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the southern house spider.
Polk County among Florida counties
By licensed snake records Polk County ranks 14th of 67 Florida counties with any.
Other Florida counties with their own page: Miami-Dade County, Collier County, Alachua County, Monroe County, Broward County, Lee County, Orange County and Marion County.
The whole state: venomous species in Florida, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.