Wednesday 13 June 2007

Z is thrilled!!(!)

No, really, with good cause this time. We were weeding the greenhouse and this is what we found -





I think he lives under the paving slabs of the greenhouse path - they are laid on bricks and there is quite a gap. I saw him (or her of course) a couple of years ago in the greenhouse and he slid unhurriedly underground then. I went in excitedly, describing a grass snake over two feet long and people were politely pleased for me, but I suspect they thought I might be exaggerating. Now I have proof however, for this skin is fully three feet.

The full-length photo isn't great, I'm afraid, but you get the idea.

22 comments:

Chairwoman of the bored said...

I like snakes. I like their dry skins, and the way they taste the air with their cute forked tongues.

A reptile a day, keeps arachnids at bay.

Anonymous said...

Gor blimey - he (let's assume) must be very happy in your greenhouse. Hate to say though, he's probably eating your frogs and (heaven forbid) newts! Mice are also on the list, so he's redeeming himself there. xx daught xx

Anonymous said...

Gor blimey - he (let's assume) must be very happy in your greenhouse. Hate to say though, he's probably eating your frogs and (heaven forbid) newts! Mice are also on the list, so he's redeeming himself there. xx daught xx

Anonymous said...

Gor blimey - he (let's assume) must be very happy in your greenhouse. Hate to say though, he's probably eating your frogs and (heaven forbid) newts! Mice are also on the list, so he's redeeming himself there. xx daught xx

Anonymous said...

Forgive my button-pressing haste! xx

Z said...

And the effortless way they move, Chairwoman. There are plenty of insects and other creepy-crawlies in the greenhouse, also mice and frogs so it's a rather good place for one to live.

As xx daught xx implies, I love frogs and spiders (and most creeping things), but a gorgeous grass snake is most welcome.

You shouldn't have said anything, xx daught xx - I'd have deleted the duplicates and everyone would have thought naughty people had been making improper suggestions as to just what could be done with my snake ;-o

Z said...

oh dear, I think ";-o" just made mildly naughty into something alarmingly risqué.

Anonymous said...

Mother - really me! Now if you hadn't said anything everyone would have thought you were have a cheeky e-motion, but now we've all got nasty thoughts about your grass snake and what ;-o could possibly mean - really me indeed.

Ahh, I don't read this often enough!

Z said...

*retires, abashed*

(giggling

badgerdaddy said...

You saucy fuckers, you!

Greg said...

No, really. "Alarmingly risqué" is good.

Imperatrix said...

That is quite a snake!

Z said...

What, us, BD? Saucy? Fuckers? Well, really me!

Thank you, Steg. Feel free to use it yourself, do.

I - When I saw it before, I looked them up and they can grow to 4 feet in length, which I'd had no idea of - I'd always thought that grass snakes were quite small. I should think this one will have no predators, where he lives and at that size.

Girlplustwo said...

dude, i love the real life exchange here.

Z said...

It all degenerated a bit there really, didn't it Jen...

Jamie said...

I love snakes. We have mostly black rat snakes around here, which is good because *something* needs to eat all the rodents. The only problem is they look a lot like soaker hoses, which means I give myself frights in the garden almost every day. :-)

I will admit that there have been a couple of times when I had to shoo rat snakes out of the henhouse with a shovel. They want the eggs. The chickens are surprisingly blasé about them.

Z said...

It does make you jump when something you thought was inanimate moves. I don't think we've got anything stealing our bantam eggs now, but when we moved them and the egg production went way up, we realised how many the rooks had been taking.

There are adders (vipers) on the heathland not far away, but not here I don't think, but I saw a slow worm in the churchyard last year, which was a thrill for me as I'd never seen one before.

martin said...

Wow, that's a big snake for England, is it not ?.
Could it crush you to death Z ?.
Stay indoors with a gin and tonic, is my advice.

Z said...

It probably could if I let it, Martin. But the g & t is an excellent idea.

dharmabum said...

such a beauty u found there. there is so much to absorb from nature, its a pity the way man manipulates sometimes. here in india, people go thru a frenzy when they spot snakes. it doesn't matter what snake it is - but if spotted in the vicity, it is relentlessly pursued and killed. i once had this bad encounter with a bunch of men trying to hunt a poor creature down - i politely asked them not to, to no avail, at which point i made sure the snake got away by distracting it before it was caught off guard :)

Z said...

I think a fear of snakes is something many people can't control. I find them fascinating and beautiful, but then our snakes aren't dangerous (although the adder is poisonous).

Z said...

Venomous, I suppose I should say.