Venomous Snakes in Delaware (Laurel: home, live in, club)

[macalan]

Wondering what the venomous snake situation is in Delaware. Northern Copperheads are the only venomous snake listed in DE. Are Copperheads frequent in your yard? Is there a certain part of Delaware where they are more prevalent?

They are terrible here from March through November. They are in gardens, in driveways, on the sidewalk, wound around stair railings, in trees....

Hoping they are not as prolific there.

[DelawareLiz]

I've lived in DE all my life (40+ years) and I've seen one copperhead. I've always lived in woodsy/marshy inland bay areas full of wildlife. I am an avid outdoors enthusiast who hikes and runs parks and trails a few times a week and still don't see any. I do see many black, rat, and garter snakes (all harmless).

However, I have read on a local Facebook page that others in my area have encounters with copperheads. A couple people near my home have been bitten over the past couple years, but copperheads are pretty reclusive and try to avoid people. I try not to worry about them too much, but I do look for them when I am out running and hiking. However, I won't let them stop me from enjoying what I like to do outside. Thankfully, their bites are rarely, if ever, fatal.

There seems to be quite a few copperheads near Cypress Swamp (west of route 113) and Trap Pond near Laurel from what I have heard.

I've heard there are rattlesnakes up in extreme northern DE. However, I have not see proof or known anyone personally who has encountered one.

[ltdontcare]

Like Beachliz said, I've been in DE since I was 2. I have only seen copperheads 1 time, a nest, when I was a kid. I wouldn't lose any sleep over them.

[retiree2011]

Originally Posted by macalan

Wondering what the venomous snake situation is in Delaware. Northern Copperheads are the only venomous snake listed in DE. Are Copperheads frequent in your yard? Is there a certain part of Delaware where they are more prevalent?

They are terrible here from March through November. They are in gardens, in driveways, on the sidewalk, wound around stair railings, in trees....

Hoping they are not as prolific there.

where do you live that snakes are everywhere? I sure couldn't live where you do. Snakes scare me to death, so after seeing a few, I bought snake repellent - so far, so good.

[nuts2uiam]

I have seen 2 since I am here and that is a bit over 6.5 years. One was a black snake that was curled up on my neighbors driveway black top 3 summers ago. The other was just below my deck and it scared the hell out of me. It was a garden snake, I am told and perfectly harmless, again I am told. I won't get close enough to find out
.

[macalan]

Originally Posted by retiree2011

where do you live that snakes are everywhere? I sure couldn't live where you do. Snakes scare me to death, so after seeing a few, I bought snake repellent - so far, so good.

We live in Charleston, SC.

[GigiTer]

Lifelong Delawarean - have never seen a copperhead! Over the years I’ve seen garden snakes but that’s about it!

[retiree2011]

Originally Posted by macalan

We live in Charleston, SC.

any snake scares me - mostly huge rat snakes where I am, Tractor Supply sells snake repellent, which I put near my door, along the garage door and where I walk. Good luck. Only good thing about winter - they hibernate.

[City Guy997S]

If you listened to Howard Stern in the last few weeks he was fretting a trip to Tennessee because someone he knew was bitten by a rattlesnake there, he actually bought snake boots!


Snakes are super overblown (as are sharks/spiders/etc). I lived in S. FL for over 35 years before I ever saw my first poisonous snake. As kids were were certainly in places that we probably shouldn't have been and saw plenty of alligators way closer than we should have been!

I've "relocated" Coral Snakes, I've seen rattlesnakes as thick as your knee crossing the road and in my personal experience if you don't mess with them you will be fine 99.99999999% of the time. I had a thick Cottonmouth cross my path earlier this summer, less than 5 ft away. It was moving slowly across a path when I came upon it, I stopped and let it pass and continued on my way without incident.

I regularly play golf at a very wooded, course. Simple rule.......DON'T look too hard for your ball and if you do see it, NEVER reach in to get it, use a club/rake to pull it out! Hit off a remote tee box (makes you hit directly over a lake), looked over to see what I thought was a frog (it was a baby alligator, less than 15 inches but it's small head looked like a frog in the water). First thought..........if that gator is here, so is mom/dad gator......don't mess with it..........LEAVE.

Common sense goes a long way with reptiles and mother nature!

[DelawareLiz]

So Charleston has plenty of copperheads....wow. I've been there, but it was in December. I am part of an east coast trail running club and many members live in the Carolinas. They see copperheads often, but I believe it's because the climate is warmer. Warmer climate = more time to reproduce and more time for snakes to be out and about for people to see them.

I'm surprised I see as many snakes as I do (non venomous) considering how overdeveloped my area is. I have a recent picture of me holding a garter that I found in my backyard. I had one as a pet when I was a kid so handling them isn't foreign. I have just made peace with snakes because almost all my hobbies involve the outdoors. I even took a really great picture of one this summer when I was running in the woods; it was one of the best pics I took all summer. I wouldn't take a pic if it was a copperhead though--at least not up close. I don't want to be the next one in the local news for a copperhead snake bite.