There are five species of venomous snakes that inhabit Iowa. Anyone who lives in or visits Iowa should make themselves aware of these snakes, and learn how to identify them. Children especially, whom snakes often fascinate, should be made aware of these 5 species. A lot of snakebites occur because people are uninformed about the venomous snakes that inhabit Iowa, and mistakenly think them harmless. The best rule of thumb is, if you don't know what kind of snake it is leave it alone. The species are: Western Massasauga (rattle snake), Eastern Massasauga (rattle snake), Prairie Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake, and Northern Copperhead.
The spring thaw is the best time to find most of the snakes out here, since they're coming out of hibernation. Right now would be a great time to go looking actually, because a lot of them are in their mating season if not wrapping it up. Some are nocturnal, some are up at both night and day, so if you're looking for a certain species look into that. A few are only nocturnal in the summer. All the snakes here love hiding so you'll have a good chance of finding some by tipping over logs or looking under rocks and in crevices. I have heard people have good luck when just cruising along country roads, where you can find snakes just basking on the warm pavement, or under debris nearby. Forests with ponds and marshes are good places to look too. Morning is probably a good time to catch things like garter snakes basking since they're warming up for the day. Some snakes like ribbon snakes also go dormant when things get too dry, so going out a day or two after some rain might also be a good idea. However take precaution, Don't go digging under dry leaves and branches, as you will be tempted to do. If you do so, you will be putting yourself in extreme danger. You won't know if there is a snake in the leaves you just pushed aside, or if there is one right under the leaf that you are about to shove over, and you won't know what kind it is, either. By the time you see the snake, it could very well already have assessed you as a danger, and have attacked.
The spring thaw is the best time to find most of the snakes out here, since they're coming out of hibernation. Right now would be a great time to go looking actually, because a lot of them are in their mating season if not wrapping it up. Some are nocturnal, some are up at both night and day, so if you're looking for a certain species look into that. A few are only nocturnal in the summer. All the snakes here love hiding so you'll have a good chance of finding some by tipping over logs or looking under rocks and in crevices. I have heard people have good luck when just cruising along country roads, where you can find snakes just basking on the warm pavement, or under debris nearby. Forests with ponds and marshes are good places to look too. Morning is probably a good time to catch things like garter snakes basking since they're warming up for the day. Some snakes like ribbon snakes also go dormant when things get too dry, so going out a day or two after some rain might also be a good idea. However take precaution, Don't go digging under dry leaves and branches, as you will be tempted to do. If you do so, you will be putting yourself in extreme danger. You won't know if there is a snake in the leaves you just pushed aside, or if there is one right under the leaf that you are about to shove over, and you won't know what kind it is, either. By the time you see the snake, it could very well already have assessed you as a danger, and have attacked.
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