Slow worms

Found three slow worms in my big compost bins today. Must be Spring! I am lucky to have a big population of these lovely lizards in the garden but it does make grass cutting very tricky.

 

Not seen mine yet this yr, but am hopeful they are still enjoying my pet-free, woodland garden.

 

Came across one on a footpath, natural not paved, a couple of days ago. Very lethargic but otherwise looked ok, found some suitable cover for it nearby.

 

They start to come out and warm up in the sun as the days warm up, but I have lots of cats around here and I quite often find tails or dead ones in my garden during the summer.

Not good but I cant do much about it.

 

I’ll have to start convincing myself that they’re ’lovely lizards’ @steephill, but it’s difficult! I can cope if I know one’s there but when I suddenly come upon one it freaks me out. Sorry. (can’t find a blushing smiley)

 

@Bozzie, they are so beautiful though, with their bronze skin gleaming in the sunshine and the manner in which they sashay across the ground in elegant curves.

@pete, a couple of new cats have moved in locally. One is very adventurous, climbing high into a huge oak and balancing precariously on slim branches over my garden. I hope they are not going to be a problem. I am sprinkling some lavender essential oil drops to discourage them. I will be most upset if I find any lifeless slowworms.

 

How marvellous! I’ve never seen one, but would love to

 

Years ago I saw my first one slithering across the garden other between my garden and the garage door. I seem to recall him as being more silvery grey than bronze. I’m afraid to say I screamed and leapt over him. Probably the poor thing was more frightened than I was. I notice I’m beginning to use the personal pronoun so maybe there’s hope yet for converting me.

 

It might be the females that are bronze, with a slightly darker line down the sides. In the sunshine, the colour really sings out. Anything suddenly moving that you aren't expecting can seem alarming, of course.

 

Not the best of pictures, but these I don't miss from my old garden - Aesculapian snakes I think. I did not stay around too long to find out!

 

Just brushing up out the front of our bungalow earlier after potting up some saxifraga and look who was watching me

 

I lifted an old roof tile at the weekend it took me a couple over minutes to work out the decapitated slow worm was actually a half buried piece of hose pipe.