Snakes and spiders in Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico County has 14 snake and 29 spider species on record, from 590 licensed snake and 163 spider records. Venomous species here: the eastern copperhead and the southern black widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Henrico County?
Yes. The eastern copperhead: 30 licensed records, 5% of all Virginia records of it. The southern black widow: on record, no openly licensed records to count.
What snakes are in Henrico County?
In all, 14 snake species are on the Henrico County list. The most recorded are the rough earthsnake (158), the northern water snake (71) and the eastern rat snake (49). Henrico County holds more than half of all Virginia records of the rough earthsnake.
| # | Species | Records | Share of Virginia records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | 158 | 69% |
| 2 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | 71 | 5% |
| 3 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | 49 | 4% |
| 4 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | 46 | 27% |
| 5 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | 44 | 6% |
| 6 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 36 | 3% |
| 7 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 34 | 6% |
| 8 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | 30 | 5% |
| 9 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 25 | 6% |
| 10 | Brown water snake Nerodia taxispilota | 20 | 4% |
| 11 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 16 | 3% |
| 12 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | 13 | 8% |
| 13 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 11 | 1% |
| 14 | Eastern kingsnake Lampropeltis getula | 7 | 4% |
When are snakes out in Henrico County?
Observation records of snakes in Henrico County run mostly April through October, peaking in April with 21% of them; across Virginia the peak is May.
What spiders are in Henrico County?
In all, 29 spider species are on the Henrico County list. The most recorded are the black-and-yellow argiope (16), the bold jumper (14) and the orchard orbweaver (13).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Virginia records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 16 | 4% |
| 2 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 14 | 4% |
| 3 | Orchard orbweaver Leucauge venusta | 13 | 2% |
| 4 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 13 | 9% |
| 5 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | 10 | 5% |
| 6 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | 8 | 2% |
| 7 | Spined micrathena Micrathena gracilis | 8 | 3% |
| 8 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | 7 | 2% |
| 9 | Basilica orbweaver Mecynogea lemniscata | 4 | 5% |
| 10 | Georgia wolf spider Tigrosa georgicola | 4 | 4% |
| 11 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | 4 | 3% |
| 12 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | 3 | 3% |
| 13 | Dysdera crocata | 3 | 7% |
| 14 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | 3 | 3% |
| 15 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | 3 | 1% |
| 16 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | 3 | 3% |
| 17 | Paraphidippus aurantius | 2 | 1% |
| 18 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | 2 | 1% |
| 19 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | 2 | 3% |
| 20 | American green crab spider Misumessus oblongus | 1 | 1% |
| 21 | Canopy jumping spider Phidippus otiosus | 1 | 2% |
| 22 | Parson spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus | 1 | 1% |
| 23 | Tigrosa annexa | 1 | 2% |
| 24 | White-banded fishing spider Dolomedes albineus | 1 | 0% |
| 25 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | 1 | 1% |
| 26 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | — | — |
| 27 | Magnolia green jumper Lyssomanes viridis | — | — |
| 28 | Marbled orbweaver Araneus marmoreus | — | — |
| 29 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | — | — |
When are spiders out in Henrico County?
Observation records of spiders in Henrico County run mostly April through November, peaking in September with 19% of them, the same peak as Virginia as a whole.
What stands out in Henrico County
Species for which Henrico County holds a large share of all Virginia records: the rough earthsnake, 69% (158 of 230); the smooth earth snake, 27% (46 of 172).
Common in Virginia, not on the Henrico County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Virginia, these do not reach the county list: the northern cottonmouth (349 statewide) and the timber rattlesnake (242 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Among the spiders most recorded across Virginia, these do not reach the county list: the dark fishing spider (480 statewide) and the bronze jumper (276 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Henrico County
Copperheads are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the northern water snake and the eastern rat snake. No cottonmouths reach the county list, but the northern cottonmouth is on the Virginia list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the northern water snake and the brown water snake.
Henrico County among Virginia counties
By licensed snake records Henrico County ranks 3rd of 129 Virginia counties with any.
Other Virginia counties with their own page: Fairfax County, Chesterfield County, Prince William County, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Loudoun County, Arlington County and Hanover County.
The whole state: venomous species in Virginia, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.