By far the most common snake along the Chesapeake's rivers and marshes, the water snake (Natrix sipedon) is often mistaken for other species of venomous snake. But just because they are nonvenomous doesn't mean they should be trifled with.

April: Water Snakes and Mistaken Identity

Join retired Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Naturalist John Page Williams every Wednesday for inside accounts of our Bay’s creatures and seasonal events.
       
Follow the Bay through the seasons. Williams' fascinating natural history will enable those who love the Chesapeake to tune in to life around the Bay. The fishing enthusiast will discover things that help him or her catch more bluefish or white perch; the bird watcher and the hiker will learn when to look for the appearance of the ospreys in the spring and the geese in the fall. The cruising sailor drinking morning coffee while anchored in a quiet cove will learn why a great blue heron stalks the shallows in summer; the canoeist will discover when to look for wild marsh flowers. 
        
ABOUT JOHN PAGE WILLIAMS
Raised in Richmond, John Page Williams retired in 2019 from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation after a long career working as a naturalist and field educator on streams, creeks, rivers, and the open Bay throughout the Chesapeake watershed in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. As he has also done for many years, he continues to review powerboats and write on fishing and environmental issues for Boating Magazine, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, and Virginia Wildlife Magazine.
              
These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at http://amazon.com/Chesapeake-Almanac-Following-Through-Seasons/dp/0870334492 (Amazon.com). 
               
Content copyright © John Page Williams, Jr. All rights reserved.
    
Find out more about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation at https://www.cbf.org (www.cbf.org).

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Join retired Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Naturalist John Page Williams every Wednesday for inside accounts of our Bay’s creatures and seasonal events. Follow the Bay through the seasons. Williams' fascinating natural history will enable those who love the Chesapeake to tune in to life around the Bay. The fishing enthusiast will discover things that help him or her catch more bluefish or white perch; the bird watcher and the hiker will learn when to look for the appearance of the ospreys in the spring and the geese in the fall. The cruising sailor drinking morning coffee while anchored in a quiet cove will learn why a great blue heron stalks the shallows in summer; the canoeist will discover when to look for wild marsh flowers. ABOUT JOHN PAGE WILLIAMS Raised in Richmond, John Page Williams retired in 2019 from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation after a long career working as a naturalist and field educator on streams, creeks, rivers, and the open Bay throughout the Chesapeake watershed in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. As he has also done for many years, he continues to review powerboats and write on fishing and environmental issues for Boating Magazine, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, and Virginia Wildlife Magazine. These readings are from John Page Williams, Jr.'s book, Chesapeake Almanac: Following the Bay through the Seasons. The publication is available in print at http://amazon.com/Chesapeake-Almanac-Following-Through-Seasons/dp/0870334492 (Amazon.com). Content copyright © John Page Williams, Jr. All rights reserved. Find out more about the Chesapeake Bay Foundation at https://www.cbf.org (www.cbf.org).

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April: Water Snakes and Mistaken Identity

April: Water Snakes and Mistaken Identity