Snakes in Virginia
Virginia has 30 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 10,945 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the northern water snake, the eastern rat snake and the common garter snake. Three of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Virginia
One species of this group is listed for Virginia: the timber rattlesnake, with 242 records (2% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the timber rattlesnake in Virginia run mostly May through September, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Bedford County, Albemarle County and Rappahannock County.
Copperheads and cottonmouths in Virginia
Copperheads and cottonmouths: two species are listed for Virginia, with 990 records (9% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern copperhead (641), ahead of the northern cottonmouth (349).
Observation records of the eastern copperhead in Virginia run mostly May through September, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, Bedford County and Henrico County. Observation records of the northern cottonmouth in Virginia run mostly March through November, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Chesterfield County, Colonial Heights and Virginia Beach.
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Virginia
Water snakes and swamp snakes: six species are listed for Virginia, with 2,279 records (21% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the northern water snake (1,435), ahead of the brown water snake (479).
Observation records of the northern water snake in Virginia run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, Russell County and Charles City County. Most licensed records of the brown water snake in Virginia come from Chesterfield County, Colonial Heights and Chesapeake. Observation records of the queen snake in Virginia run mostly March through September, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Tazewell County, Scott County and Montgomery County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Virginia
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes: two species are listed for Virginia, with 1,184 records (11% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the common garter snake (1,057), ahead of the eastern ribbonsnake (127).
Observation records of the common garter snake in Virginia run mostly March through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, Highland County and Chesapeake. Observation records of the eastern ribbonsnake in Virginia run mostly March through October, peaking in March; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, James City County and Charlotte County.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in Virginia
Rat snakes and corn snakes: two species are listed for Virginia, with 1,338 records (12% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern rat snake (1,247), ahead of the corn snake (91).
Observation records of the eastern rat snake in Virginia run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, Prince William County and Henrico County. Most licensed records of the corn snake in Virginia come from Chesterfield County, Buckingham County and Goochland County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Virginia
Kingsnakes and milksnakes: five species are listed for Virginia, with 604 records (6% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern milksnake (207), ahead of the eastern kingsnake (162).
Observation records of the eastern milksnake in Virginia run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Highland County, Augusta County and Madison County. Most licensed records of the eastern kingsnake in Virginia come from Goochland County, Virginia Beach and Northampton County. Most licensed records of the mole kingsnake in Virginia come from Fairfax County, James City County and Bedford County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Virginia
One species of this group is listed for Virginia: the eastern racer, with 565 records (5% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the eastern racer in Virginia run mostly March through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Henrico County, Accomack County and Fairfax County.
Hognose snakes in Virginia
One species of this group is listed for Virginia: the eastern hog-nosed snake, with 198 records (2% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the eastern hog-nosed snake in Virginia run mostly March through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, Accomack County and James City County.
Green snakes in Virginia
Green snakes: two species are listed for Virginia, with 482 records (4% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the rough greensnake (422), ahead of the smooth green snake (60).
Observation records of the rough greensnake in Virginia run mostly April through October, peaking in October; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, Henrico County and Northampton County. Most licensed records of the smooth green snake in Virginia come from Bath County, Rockingham County and Highland County.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Virginia
Small woodland and burrowing snakes dominate the snake record of Virginia: eight species and 27% of all records. The most recorded is the ring-necked snake (1,015), ahead of the eastern wormsnake (793).
Observation records of the ring-necked snake in Virginia run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Augusta County, Highland County and Rockingham County. Observation records of the eastern wormsnake in Virginia run mostly March through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Fairfax County, Cumberland County and Henrico County. Observation records of the DeKay's brown snake in Virginia run mostly March through November, peaking in March; most licensed records come from Prince William County, Fairfax County and Arlington County.
Where in Virginia are snakes recorded most?
Records are spread widely: even the top five counties, led by Fairfax County, hold only 25% of them. 129 of Virginia's 133 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairfax County | 872 | 8.0% |
| 2 | Chesterfield County | 597 | 5.5% |
| 3 | Henrico County | 590 | 5.4% |
| 4 | Prince William County | 369 | 3.4% |
| 5 | Virginia Beach | 341 | 3.1% |
| 6 | Chesapeake | 329 | 3.0% |
| 7 | Highland County | 281 | 2.6% |
| 8 | James City County | 275 | 2.5% |
| 9 | Augusta County | 269 | 2.5% |
| 10 | Colonial Heights | 214 | 2.0% |
| 11 | Charles City County | 212 | 1.9% |
| 12 | Bedford County | 204 | 1.9% |
When do snakes come out in Virginia?
Observation records of snakes in Virginia run mostly March through October, peaking in May with 22% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 2% of the records. The sharpest rise comes from March to April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 1% | 6% | 15% | 22% | 14% | 10% | 9% | 10% | 8% | 3% | 1% |
Snakes: Virginia compared with its neighbors
Virginia ranks 19th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the five states bordering Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee list more snake species (Virginia: 30 species; North Carolina 39, Tennessee 32, Kentucky 24, Maryland 20, West Virginia 18).
What snakes are in Virginia? All 30 species
Ranked by licensed records in Virginia. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 1,435 | 13.1% |
| 2 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | Colubridae | 1,247 | 11.4% |
| 3 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 1,057 | 9.7% |
| 4 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 1,015 | 9.3% |
| 5 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | Colubridae | 793 | 7.2% |
| 6 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | Viperidae | 641 | 5.9% |
| 7 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 565 | 5.2% |
| 8 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 545 | 5.0% |
| 9 | Brown water snake Nerodia taxispilota | Colubridae | 479 | 4.4% |
| 10 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | Colubridae | 422 | 3.9% |
| 11 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | Viperidae | 349 | 3.2% |
| 12 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | Viperidae | 242 | 2.2% |
| 13 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | Colubridae | 230 | 2.1% |
| 14 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 207 | 1.9% |
| 15 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | Colubridae | 198 | 1.8% |
| 16 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | Colubridae | 172 | 1.6% |
| 17 | Eastern kingsnake Lampropeltis getula | Colubridae | 162 | 1.5% |
| 18 | Queen snake Regina septemvittata | Colubridae | 162 | 1.5% |
| 19 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 161 | 1.5% |
| 20 | Mole kingsnake Lampropeltis rhombomaculata | Colubridae | 153 | 1.4% |
| 21 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | Colubridae | 127 | 1.2% |
| 22 | Rainbow snake Farancia erytrogramma | Colubridae | 117 | 1.1% |
| 23 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | Colubridae | 91 | 0.8% |
| 24 | Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster | Colubridae | 78 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | Colubridae | 61 | 0.6% |
| 26 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 60 | 0.5% |
| 27 | Scarlet snake Cemophora coccinea | Colubridae | 44 | 0.4% |
| 28 | Mud snake Farancia abacura | Colubridae | 25 | 0.2% |
| 29 | Southeastern crown snake Tantilla coronata | Colubridae | 11 | 0.1% |
| 30 | Eastern black kingsnake Lampropeltis nigra | Colubridae | 4 | 0.0% |
Also recorded in Virginia, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, two snake species are known from Virginia by only 3 to 9 records each. Some are genuine rarities at the edge of their range; others may be strays, released pets or old misidentifications, so treat them as unconfirmed.
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.