Snakes and spiders in Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County, home of Olathe, has 18 snake and 26 spider species on record, from 330 licensed snake and 54 spider records. Venomous species here: the eastern copperhead, the timber rattlesnake, the brown recluse and the northern black widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Johnson County?
Yes. The eastern copperhead: 24 licensed records, 4% of all Kansas records of it. The timber rattlesnake: 9 licensed records, 5% of all Kansas records of it. The brown recluse: 7 licensed records, 8% of all Kansas records of it. The northern black widow: 1 licensed record, 25% of all Kansas records of it.
What snakes are in Johnson County?
In all, 18 snake species are on the Johnson County list. The most recorded are the ring-necked snake (107), the northern water snake (30) and the common garter snake (26).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Kansas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 107 | 4% |
| 2 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | 30 | 2% |
| 3 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 26 | 4% |
| 4 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 24 | 7% |
| 5 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | 24 | 4% |
| 6 | Flathead snake Tantilla gracilis | 20 | 2% |
| 7 | Western worm snake Carphophis vermis | 19 | 7% |
| 8 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 14 | 2% |
| 9 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | 12 | 5% |
| 10 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | 9 | 5% |
| 11 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | 8 | 2% |
| 12 | Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster | 7 | 3% |
| 13 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 6 | 6% |
| 14 | Lined snake Tropidoclonion lineatum | 5 | 1% |
| 15 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | 3 | 1% |
| 16 | Speckled kingsnake Lampropeltis holbrooki | 2 | 1% |
| 17 | Central plains milksnake Lampropeltis gentilis | 1 | 1% |
| 18 | Graham's crayfish snake Regina grahamii | 1 | 1% |
When are snakes out in Johnson County?
Observation records of snakes in Johnson County run mostly April through September, peaking in May with 38% of them, the same peak as Kansas as a whole.
What spiders are in Johnson County?
In all, 26 spider species are on the Johnson County list. The most recorded are the bold jumper (8), the brown recluse (7) and the black-and-yellow argiope (5).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Kansas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 8 | 8% |
| 2 | Brown recluse venomous Loxosceles reclusa | 7 | 8% |
| 3 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 5 | 6% |
| 4 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | 4 | 5% |
| 5 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | 4 | 11% |
| 6 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | 3 | 17% |
| 7 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | 3 | 8% |
| 8 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | 2 | 7% |
| 9 | Paraphidippus aurantius | 2 | 5% |
| 10 | Apache jumping spider Phidippus apacheanus | 1 | 11% |
| 11 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | 1 | 6% |
| 12 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | 1 | 9% |
| 13 | Northern black widow venomous Latrodectus variolus | 1 | 25% |
| 14 | White micrathena Micrathena mitrata | 1 | 7% |
| 15 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | — | — |
| 16 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | — | — |
| 17 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | — | — |
| 18 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | — | — |
| 19 | Georgia wolf spider Tigrosa georgicola | — | — |
| 20 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | — | — |
| 21 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | — | — |
| 22 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | — | — |
| 23 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | — | — |
| 24 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | — | — |
| 25 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | — | — |
| 26 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | — | — |
When are spiders out in Johnson County?
Observation records of spiders in Johnson County run mostly May through October, peaking in July with 21% of them; across Kansas the peak is August.
Common in Kansas, not on the Johnson County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Kansas, these do not reach the county list: the gopher snake (632 statewide), the plains garter snake (562 statewide), the western massasauga (490 statewide) and the prairie rattlesnake (347 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Johnson County
Copperheads are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the northern water snake, the eastern milksnake, the plain-bellied watersnake and the central plains milksnake. No cottonmouths reach the county list, but the northern cottonmouth is on the Kansas list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the northern water snake and the plain-bellied watersnake. No coral snakes reach the county list, and GBIF holds no coral snake record for Kansas under any license, so one reported here is most likely a harmless lookalike: the eastern milksnake and the central plains milksnake. Widow spiders are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the triangulate bud spider.
Johnson County among Kansas counties
By licensed snake records Johnson County ranks 9th of 105 Kansas counties with any.
Other Kansas counties with their own page: Cowley County, Douglas County, Chase County, Ellis County, Russell County, Cherokee County, Riley County and Barber County.
The whole state: venomous species in Kansas, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.