Grass Snakes
By drc726
14 comments
I have just been reading an article on Grass snakes and since we had a very big one in our pond for a week about 3 hot summers ago I do stomp around more in the quieter parts of my garden.
I thought a few facts from the article might be of interest.
We all know it has no venom so will not harm us. Well they are just as likely to be found in water as in grass, in fact they frequent areas of low vegetation and ponds, and I thought it was the more dense part of my garden where they hung out, not when they are basking and trying to get hotter to aid their fertility it seems! Laying up to 40 eggs at a time, heavens and in the compost heap too.
They eat mainly amphibians such as frogs and toads occasionally they eat small mammals, fish and young birds, The good news is they only need to eat 2-3 per year, which may explain why after spending a week in my pond why I still had all my fish left, their young eat slugs and snails hooray but I think I would rather have slugs than snakes.
It seems their numbers have fallen steadily they are protected under the Wildlife and country side act 1981 so they cannot be killed if you see one.
Well I shall continue to stop around when I and in the denser parts of my garden as I cannot stand snakes in any form!
21 Jul, 2014
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Comments
I would run with him lol.
21 Jul, 2014
Lol!
21 Jul, 2014
Hi Drc, I have lived in the countryside all my life, and never seen 1, Derek.
21 Jul, 2014
I've never seen one, either. We used to see adders when I lived in Surrey. I think I'd be stomping around too, Denise!
21 Jul, 2014
We had one in our compost bin a few years ago. They are really beautiful animals, its a shame to dislike them. They would be very welcome to all the slugs they could find but please to leave the toads alone! The things I can't abide are leeches and slugs.
You've told us some very interesting information Denise, especially that they only eat so seldom
21 Jul, 2014
I hope you don't encounter any more snakes :( I'm not afraid of them, but I think I would have a shock if I saw one in my garden ! :O
21 Jul, 2014
When I went on the Bike Express coach to the South of
France I camped in a quiet area, north of Narbonne. Only saw 2 cars in a morning. Too hot to ride after 1 p.m. Went to a camp site with a swimming pool.
Once on my morning ride there was an adult grass snake
all curled up nice and tidy, fast asleep in the middle of the road. I carefully rode round it, thinking ' Oo-er.'
Another time I was riding into Lamalou les Bains on the
main road, and a mother grass snake came off the right
hand side, with two young ones on either side of her.
I stopped to watch. She slithered across this wide road
in front of me, and went onto the grass verge on the other side. I was so surprised I failed to get my camera out.
22 Jul, 2014
Only time I have seen them was in water bit surprised at the size well over 2ft long, had been used to the Slow worms in the garden that were altogether smaller ,alas there are very few now the Badgers seem to have taken them all.
22 Jul, 2014
I've only ever seen one, our son brought it home after finding it beside the road he didn't tell us he was keeping it in his bedroom until it escaped that is ! I went into the bathroom and screamed the place down when I found it laying full length under the radiator !!
22 Jul, 2014
Poor Amy.
22 Jul, 2014
Its not that i dislike them more I am scared stiff of them as they move so quick and I am always afraid theyv will be in the compost one day Steragram.
DB snakes and creepy crawlies are the reason I could never camp LOL
BJS The one in our pond was very long and the markings on its head were very distinct I used to see slow worms in Kent but never in this garden.
Gosh Amy I would have expired on the spot.
22 Jul, 2014
Not very likely you'll find one in the compost though Denise - it's only happened once in a whole lifetime! It was on some fermenting grass cuttings and it was pretty hot in there!
I'm with you on not camping, but only because I like my creature comforts too much.
22 Jul, 2014
Thats good to hear Steragram
23 Jul, 2014
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Some interesting information there Drc, thank you. I don't mind snakes, in fact I quite like them ,but the same cannot be said of my OH, he'd be running for the hills if he saw one.
21 Jul, 2014