Grass snake

[gwaithcoed]

Went to put some weeds on my compost heap the other day and saw this grass snake shoot off into the dry stone wall behind the heap.
Went back about an hour later and he was back again, and again made a quick exit.
Today I went up with the camera and moved the carpet covering the heap gently and took this picture.



Alan.

 

[CHJ]

She's probably got eggs inside the heap, you'll probably come across the cluster of empty shells when you dig the heap out.
I avoid turning my heaps over this time of year until it's cooled down having encountered batches of eggs in the throws of hatching in the past.

 

[woodfarmer]

That does not look like a grass snake to me ! but I could be wrong

 

[CHJ]

That does not look like a grass snake to me ! but I could be wrong

The Yellow and Black band behind the head is diagnostic.

 

[Fat ferret]

Beautiful critter. Lotta peoples gardens haven't got room for wildlife just paving and turf which is a shame.

We get adders here and the variety in colouration is incredible slow worms and lizards too.

 

[CHJ]

We get lizards in the dry stone walls, hard to get a good look at them as they are very shy, not like the geckos you get abroad, slow worms seem to congregate under anything that can absorb some sun warmth, some years ago I broke up a long concrete path for a neighbour that had been laid on the cracked limestone rock base, there were hundreds of them of all sizes under there, took me for ages to remove it without injuring any.
Adders not seen here often thank goodness, think there is too much disturbance for their sun bathing but they too do vary considerably in colour shade when seen, from pale similar to grass snake to almost black, had panic call from daughter one day whilst we were away from home as one had got into aviary hunting the birds.

Always amazed at the speed that a snake can move when disturbed from under a cover.

 

[chippy1970]

My niece lives in Falmouth and is an ecologist , the other week she was surveying snakes and found quite a few Adders. Not something I'd want to come across lol. I don't mind grass snakes though.

 

[gwaithcoed]

CHJ wrote

She's probably got eggs inside the heap, you'll probably come across the cluster of empty shells when you dig the heap out.

Thanks for that CHJ. Never thought about her having eggs. I have no need to disturb the heap as I have enough room to start another.
There have always been slow worms in the heap and I have seen about half a dozen there today. I don't know whether grass snakes eat slow worms but if they do then they won't have to go to far for their next meal

Alan.

 

[woodfarmer]

That does not look like a grass snake to me ! but I could be wrong

The Yellow and Black band behind the head is diagnostic.

I was more looking at the head shape, seemed triangular to me, Being colour blind doesn't help ( blue-green-yellow)

Many years ago when I was just about a teenager i was catching slow worms by lifting bits of galvanise and catching them with my hand. I caught one, and thought, wow this one is really strong. Looking more carefully I realised it was an adder, so flung it one way and went the other, been bit wary lifting galvanise ever since.

Hmm, been bit wary today turning since the last bowl I was making exploded.

 

[harimau99]

Yep, it looks like a grass snake. Coming from Australia we get used to living with these creatures around our houses, and can appreciate them keeping rat and mice numbers down. 95% of all people getting bitten by venomous snakes try to remove or kill the snakes due to their fear they or their children or pets will get bitten, but best to leave them alone. They try to create a map of where and when humans movements are to avoid them at all costs, as we are much more dangerous to them, than them to us. My advice to let it be.