Florida Banded Water Snakes are very variable in color. Reds do not seem as common as other phases.

Field herpers anywhere within the range of Water Snakes of the genus Nerodia, have probably proclaimed on the abundance of these snakes seen on any “good” night of herping. Often, in my area of north central Florida, the numbers of water snakes have exceeded, or at least run neck-and-neck with the numbers of Cottonmouths seen. Or at least that was the case until last summer. After having seen only a single juvie on a roadway that normally discloses 6 to a dozen on a good night, I have seen only one—one lone juvie in a full season of road-hunting. After each trip I find myself asking “Where have all the Nerodia fasciata pictiventris, FL Banded Water Snakes, gone?”

Be it full moon, new moon or in between moon, warm and clear, warm and cloudy, drizzling, or pouring, I have seen only that single Banded Water Snake in the last several months. With winter now upon us, with water levels dropping in our waterways, even with our warm days (north central Florida,) I don’t really expect that the water snakes will be any more visible. But I sure do hope that the spring of 2023 will bring a resurgence in the numbers that we see. We could use a bolstering in the numbers of Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnakes also.