My first two Florida Watersnakes were this pair, basking in branches a foot or two above an eddy in Turner River. My wife and I were in our inflatable kayak, and the snakes were good sports to stay put while we tried to maneuver the kayak near enough and steady enough for halfway decent handheld shots.

Florida Watersnakes are plentiful at Corkscrew Swamp; I saw five on this day. The very young ones have prominent banding, as in the first photo here. When they get older the markings fade and the adults often appear nearly patternless.

The popular Anhinga Trail looks like the perfect place for watersnakes, and it has signs mentioning watersnakes, but I had looked there in vain for snakes many times in the past. At long last I saw a young snake hunting in the water, but it disappointed me by slipping out of sight before I could get a photo. Twenty minutes later I returned to the same spot and found that my snake friend had taken a break from fish hunting to bask in the reeds at the water's edge.