Nerodia sipedon pleuralis
(Cope 1892)
Pulaski Co., Illinois. May 9, 1999.
This subspecies is delineated from northern water snakes by the number of dorsal bands and blotches, and there is a wide area of intergradation across the midwestern US. Photos are of a ‘true’ pleuralis from Jefferson Co., Kentucky. Regardless of subspecies, any creek with fish and frogs will have a population of sipedon, and large adults are often spotted basking in brushy log jams near the water.
My Flickr album for this species is here.
HerpMapper records for this species are here.
