It’s not just bees that have been encouraged by the warm sunny weather. On Saturday, it got so warm that my local snakes decided to sunbathe in front of the greenhouse!
I had been inside on the computer for a few hours (sadly I have to work at weekends to keep up sometimes) and when I ventured out into the greenhouse for an hours break (even my breaks revolve around the garden at this time of year, but I love it, so it’s not a chore), I stumbled upon a basking snake!
It’s not a big surprise, as I know they live around the garden, but to be honest I rarely see them.
Snakes, at least the native ones, can’t hear so they rely on vibration to alert them to danger. I must have snuck up the garden in my slippers (doubt it as I’m hardly a lightweight these days), but I certainly too hissing Sid by surprise. I’m not sure who was more scared. I squealed, it slithered and in moments it had disappeared.
At first glance I thought it was an adder because it had markings, but actually it was too big and it had round eyes, not slitty eyes like an adder, so it must have been a grass snake. So it was harmless and like its arithmetical relatives it feeds on plenty of garden beasts, especially slugs and snails.
It is a bit weird sharing the garden with dangerous creatures (the adders), but we have so few in this country, we are very privileged. I do have to keep an eye on the dog as he’s a bit over inquisitive at times and one of my cats got bitten by an adder a few years ago and lived to meow the tale, but I think we can live side by side fairly uneventfully.
There are times it puts me off gardening in certain areas of the garden. Last year I was weeding one of the front garden borders when a baby adder about as thick as a pencil, slithered past my trowel. Not too sure at what age they become venomous, but I quickly decided to garden somewhere else.
