What with Hard-hattie making an impromptu appearance, I thought that would be it on the reptile front, but no. Zigzagging through the culm, trying to avoid the clumps of regenerating purple moor grass, I froze. Sliding swiftly away from me was a thick, scaled, chevroned, slithering length of snake. Shivering with more fear than excitement, I blinked and it was gone.
It's so hard, without seeing the head, to know if it was a grass snake or an adder, but those chevrons were so marked, that I think it might have been an adder. And I was wearing sandals and shorts. Oh my.
(And no, I didn't hang around long enough to take a photo; I whistled my way to the edge of the culm and took my leave).
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6 comments:
I don't know whether to say 'lucky you' for seeing an adder (maybe) or for having good enough weather to wear sandals and shorts. It's been vile here. I've been indoors all day.
Rest assured M'ear, that it has been raining solidly here too for 2 days, and into a third (so far) but that we had sun for at least 4 days before that when the forecast said heavy rain - so we scored for a change!
Double lucky you! First for seeing a snake, whichever one it was, and secondly for not getting bitten! I've seen several grass snakes around here, and an adder once. Adders are distinctive, not only for the lack of yellow 'ears' but because of the shape of their body - they are thick in the middle, grass snakes are like a tube. Does that help?
I know you have both down there, and the markings do vary such a lot!
Oh yeah, triple lucky. It's tipping it down here. Again!
Amazing markings - I have to say I'm petrified of snakes - but a great picture!
Oh cripes - that picture would never have been taken if that was me that came across it - que runing screaming in other direction at the speed of light.
Mopsa,
What an exciting part of the world you live in.
What else are you going to come across I wonder?
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