Snakes and spiders in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, home of Doylestown, has 7 snake and 43 spider species on record, from 142 licensed snake and 543 spider records. No venomous snake or spider reaches the county list, but the timber rattlesnake, the eastern copperhead, the eastern massasauga, the northern black widow and the southern black widow are on the Pennsylvania list: treat any snake or spider like them as venomous until identified.
What snakes are in Bucks County?
In all, 7 snake species are on the Bucks County list. The most recorded are the common garter snake (56), the northern water snake (40) and the DeKay's brown snake (13).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Pennsylvania records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 56 | 3% |
| 2 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | 40 | 5% |
| 3 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 13 | 3% |
| 4 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 12 | 6% |
| 5 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | 7 | 1% |
| 6 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 6 | 1% |
| 7 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | 1 | 0% |
When are snakes out in Bucks County?
Observation records of snakes in Bucks County run mostly April through October, peaking in April with 22% of them; across Pennsylvania the peak is May.
What spiders are in Bucks County?
In all, 43 spider species are on the Bucks County list. The most recorded are Paraphidippus aurantius (31), the orchard orbweaver (29) and the bold jumper (26).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Pennsylvania records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paraphidippus aurantius | 31 | 17% |
| 2 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | 29 | 7% |
| 3 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 26 | 7% |
| 4 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | 24 | 18% |
| 5 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | 23 | 21% |
| 6 | Pseudeuophrys erratica | 21 | 34% |
| 7 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | 17 | 8% |
| 8 | Asian wall jumper Attulus fasciger | 16 | 25% |
| 9 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | 16 | 12% |
| 10 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | 13 | 15% |
| 11 | Sixspotted orbweaver Araniella displicata | 12 | 16% |
| 12 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | 12 | 6% |
| 13 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | 12 | 21% |
| 14 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | 11 | 17% |
| 15 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | 11 | 6% |
| 16 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | 11 | 10% |
| 17 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | 10 | 22% |
| 18 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | 10 | 10% |
| 19 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | 9 | 11% |
| 20 | Slender ant mimicking jumping spider Synemosyna formica | 9 | 30% |
| 21 | Basilica orbweaver Mecynogea lemniscata | 7 | 17% |
| 22 | Broad-faced sac spider Trachelas tranquillus | 7 | 21% |
| 23 | Grayish jumping spider Phidippus princeps | 6 | 11% |
| 24 | Labyrinth orbweaver Metepeira labyrinthea | 6 | 40% |
| 25 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | 6 | 9% |
| 26 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | 6 | 7% |
| 27 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | 6 | 40% |
| 28 | White-banded fishing spider Dolomedes albineus | 6 | 15% |
| 29 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | 5 | 8% |
| 30 | Dark fishing spider Dolomedes tenebrosus | 5 | 3% |
| 31 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | 5 | 6% |
| 32 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | 5 | 10% |
| 33 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | 5 | 14% |
| 34 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 5 | 23% |
| 35 | Sylvan jumping spider Colonus sylvanus | 5 | 13% |
| 36 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | 4 | 14% |
| 37 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 3 | 3% |
| 38 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | 2 | 9% |
| 39 | Dysdera crocata | 2 | 2% |
| 40 | Longbodied cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides | 1 | 3% |
| 41 | Banded fishing spider Dolomedes vittatus | — | — |
| 42 | Dock spider Dolomedes scriptus | — | — |
| 43 | Zebra spider Salticus scenicus | — | — |
When are spiders out in Bucks County?
Observation records of spiders in Bucks County run mostly March through October, peaking in May with 20% of them; across Pennsylvania the peak is June.
What stands out in Bucks County
Species for which Bucks County holds a large share of all Pennsylvania records: Pseudeuophrys erratica, 34% (21 of 62); the Asian wall jumper, 25% (16 of 64); the arabesque orbweaver, 22% (10 of 45); the white-jawed jumping spider, 21% (12 of 56); the furrow orbweaver, 21% (23 of 108); the bronze jumper, 18% (24 of 137); the bowl and doily spider, 17% (11 of 65); Paraphidippus aurantius, 17% (31 of 187).
Common in Pennsylvania, not on the Bucks County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Pennsylvania, these do not reach the county list: the queen snake (566 statewide), the shorthead garter snake (523 statewide), the timber rattlesnake (479 statewide), the red-bellied snake (465 statewide), the smooth earth snake (368 statewide) and the eastern copperhead (261 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Bucks County
No copperheads reach the county list, but the eastern copperhead is on the Pennsylvania list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the northern water snake, the eastern milksnake and the eastern rat snake. No cottonmouths reach the county list, and GBIF holds no cottonmouth record for Pennsylvania under any license, so one reported here is most likely a harmless lookalike: the northern water snake. No coral snakes reach the county list, and GBIF holds no coral snake record for Pennsylvania under any license, so one reported here is most likely a harmless lookalike: the eastern milksnake. No widow spiders reach the county list, but the northern black widow and the southern black widow are on the Pennsylvania list: treat any spider like them as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the triangulate bud spider. No recluse spiders reach the county list, and GBIF holds no recluse spider record for Pennsylvania under any license, so one reported here is most likely a harmless lookalike: the longbodied cellar spider.
Bucks County among Pennsylvania counties
By licensed snake records Bucks County ranks 20th of 67 Pennsylvania counties with any.
Other Pennsylvania counties with their own page: Allegheny County, Warren County, Westmoreland County, Erie County, Centre County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County and Dauphin County.
The whole state: venomous species in Pennsylvania, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.