Adders, Grass snakes in my garden

[Jesse]

My garden boarders my self home grown cover and wood piles and wood chip piles, cover is now about 10 years old and has just reached canopy closure, mixed evergreen and deciduous trees, very diverse species mix of trees, I also maintain a variety of different grass heights where it still grows, the range of wildlife is now vast, Owls, Fox, Badger , Deer, Small lizards, lots of snakes. Last year was the first time I had noticed them with possibly 20 to 30 sightings , this year starting this month its reached the point that I now have to be very careful when walking outside, they are fantastic but could they kill a Jack Russel, Found one again just now while out with one of me dogs , dog did not see it and the Adder (i think) was eating a Toed so had it mouth full. Sent some photos to another member and hopefully he will post. Great to see them but why so many or is it just one or two that i keep seeing.

[Rich2484]

I wouldn't worry about the adders. They prefer to just hide away. Normally under nettles, unless it sunny then you may get one on a patio type area warming itself. It's only really the dogs, they will be curious but if you see one going for an adder just try and teach them no.

 

Sounds like a good habitat you got going there.

[Jesse]

I wouldn't worry about the adders. They prefer to just hide away. Normally under nettles, unless it sunny then you may get one on a patio type area warming itself. It's only really the dogs, they will be curious but if you see one going for an adder just try and teach them no.

 

Sounds like a good habitat you got going there.

 

It is, thanks, I did do it to try and create a wildlife haven and to put a little something back in terms of replacing trees if you know what i mean, they are all trees that suit clay and the different drainage areas, it almost extends to 5 Acres now but each year i push the southern boundary out , when I moved here in 2000 it was agricultural farm land, no trees only hedges, at first it was experimental to see what would grow the best, first place on the well drained clay soil is Pinus nigra evergreen and for the wetter soils Betula with Alnus, Pinus went in in 2006 as 20/30 bare root, they are now 10m in hight, Douglas Fir was planted 2 years ago and they are showing great potential . I have also a created underground and above ground timber stacks and the site is untidy in terms of dead wood on the ground.

[Tree Man Tom]

Pics on behalf of jesse the dwarf

[APC]

nice pics!

[Jesse]

Pics on behalf of jesse the dwarf

 

Thanks TMT, would really like some one to confirm what it is please .

[Jesse]

nice pics!

 

Thanks top photo was the last, it spat the toad and moved away, lower photos were how i found it, it most have just made the kill, at first i thought the snake had lost its head and was dead it was only as i looked close i could see a massive toad half in its mouth with its back legs sticking out, snakes mouth was gorged with it. proper treat to see i am going to start taking my camera out more . Habitat is as you see it but that spot has a massive Beech ring that was put there with a crane 7 years ago, a good 2 ton lump.

[agg221]

That's a grass snake.

 

Distinctive features - no zig-zags down the back (adder), white collar at the head, and being round in body-section (like a hosepipe) rather than flattened.

 

Grass snakes typically like damp conditions. They're solitary rather than colony forming, but don't seem to mind congregating in a particular place that suits them. They do hiss at one another quite a bit though so either they're talkative or not particularly sociable. I don't speak grass-snake so I've never worked out which!

 

We have a load of them which congregate on our compost heap - I've seen up to five of them at a time.

 

Alec

[Graham]

That's a grass snake. Not sure whether it's a toad or frog but looks more toad like. Maybe the toad's excretions don't put off snakes like they do with dogs. An old dog of mine used to pick up toads and end up with a mouth full of froth:001_smile:

[Graham]

Maybe worth having a good woodchip pile for breeding. We had 100s two years ago hatching out of woodchip piles.

[felixthelogchopper]

That's a grass snake.

 

Distinctive features - no zig-zags down the back (adder), white collar at the head, and being round in body-section (like a hosepipe) rather than flattened.

 

Grass snakes typically like damp conditions. They're solitary rather than colony forming, but don't seem to mind congregating in a particular place that suits them. They do hiss at one another quite a bit though so either they're talkative or not particularly sociable. I don't speak grass-snake so I've never worked out which!

 

We have a load of them which congregate on our compost heap - I've seen up to five of them at a time.

 

Alec

 

Go careful when you disturb it then. They may well be laying eggs in there due to the heat.