This month Sussex Wildlife Trust would like to put in a good word for snakes as WildCall is entering the season of frantic phone calls as this is the time these reptiles are most often spotted in gardens.
England is home to three species of snake – the adder, grass snake and smooth snake, but sometimes the slow worm, which is in fact a legless lizard, is mistaken for a snake. The grass snake is most commonly seen, identified by a yellow or white mark on its neck next to a black mark. Its body is olive green, brown or grey with black bar markings on its sides.
Reptiles usually emerge from hibernation in March and remain active through until October. A hot, sunny day is their chance to sunbathe and this is the most likely time to see a snake when it is sunning itself, soaking up warmth and energy from the sun. But unless your garden is very large it is like that snakes are living there – most will be just passing through in search of food such as frogs, toads, fish and small mammals. Favourite areas are log piles, compost heaps, rockeries and ponds.
WildCall does receive a number of frantic calls from people who are concerned that they have an adder living in their garden. The adder is the only venomous snake in the British Isles but although we do have records for them in Sussex, this species rarely turns up in gardens.
However, it is not only our own native species that cause concern. Sometimes abandoned or escaped pets are spotted in urban gardens as was the case with David King the Trust’s finance officer who lives in Shoreham-by-Sea.
His wife Marion first spotted what she described as a large black and white snake in their log pile and after three weeks of occasional glimpses of this creature they contacted the RSPCA who identified it as a corn snake and then affected a successful capture. This species of snake is a popular choice for those people with an interest in exotic pets but according to the RSPCA an excellent escapologist.
For further details about the reptiles that may be living or passing through your garden please contact WildCall 01273 494777.
Picture by Peter Marten
