the online meeting place for all who love our amphibians and reptiles
Home Page Live Forums Archived Forums Site Search Identify Record Donate Projects Links
Forum Home Forum Home > Herpetofauna Native to the UK > Slow Worm
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - 2018 Slow Worms
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

2018 Slow Worms

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1234>
Author
Message
Suzy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1447
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 10:53am
I did see probably the same slow worm the next day as well. but didn't put the photo up on here as it is just the same. Do folk remember when I had some showing into December a few years ago?
Suz
Back to Top
will View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 27 Feb 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1830
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote will Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Nov 2018 at 3:13pm
Good luck Chubsta - yes Suz, Dec slowwies definitely ring a bell. Here's my 'Guy Forks' effort from today! (sorry about the pun...)

Back to Top
Suzy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1447
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Nov 2018 at 11:45am
Found this one under a cover in the garden just a few minutes ago. Not the same cover as the other day and not the same slow worm. It's sunshine and showers here in East Devon today.



Not quite so spectacular as Will's posting! 
Suz
Back to Top
TheHabitatGardener View Drop Down
Member
Member
Avatar

Joined: 03 Dec 2018
Location: Essex/ Cali
Status: Offline
Points: 15
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheHabitatGardener Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Dec 2018 at 4:48pm
Hello Gemma and Suzy and co. I am new to this forum and I just wanted to say how interesting and inspiring I find your posts! I am in Essex too Gemma and I’m planning a wildlife pond so thank you for all the advice you have posted. I am wondering how to attract slow worms to the garden as that would be a dream come true for me. I have seen one (dead on the road 😩) a few miles from us so it’s possible they are around locally. Any advice much appreciated, these pictures are beautiful!
Back to Top
Suzy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1447
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Dec 2018 at 9:17pm
Slow worms can be present in an area in high numbers without us being aware of them. I have over sixty in my garden and rarely see them unless I search for them.
What you need to do is provide cover for them to hide under. This can be things like sheets of corrugated iron, roofing felt or plastic sheeting. They will also go under old carpets. They like to be in compost heaps too and if you cover a heap with plastic sheeting you will find them basking under the plastic when you peel it back. 
We are encouraged to let parts of our garden go wild for wildlife but I had plenty of slow worms when I still mowed all of it, BUT I did have the covers down and several large covered compost heaps. 
If they are in your area and you provide suitable cover for them then you might find them in the first year. 
Good luck

Suz
Back to Top
TheHabitatGardener View Drop Down
Member
Member
Avatar

Joined: 03 Dec 2018
Location: Essex/ Cali
Status: Offline
Points: 15
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheHabitatGardener Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Dec 2018 at 2:51am
Sixty! Incredible. I will follow your advice and put carpet/ roof felt down and create some open heaps (so far just have Dalek bins). We are currently living in California for a year but returning to our home in Essex this summer. I’m planning to develop our garden as a habitat garden and herps are high on my list. There are some amazing herps in California but for me nothing beats the magic of the native fauna I discovered in childhood at home!
Back to Top
TheHabitatGardener View Drop Down
Member
Member
Avatar

Joined: 03 Dec 2018
Location: Essex/ Cali
Status: Offline
Points: 15
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheHabitatGardener Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Dec 2018 at 2:53am
Fantastic photo Will
Back to Top
chubsta View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 26 Apr 2013
Location: Folkestone,Kent
Status: Offline
Points: 430
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote chubsta Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2018 at 7:53pm
i hadn’t seen any in my garden but spoke to someone who lived nearby and he said he had them. i ctreated a wild area in my garden and put down sheets and straightaway saw slow worms, and later in the year saw new babies. good luck with yours, hopefully you will be successful
Back to Top
TheHabitatGardener View Drop Down
Member
Member
Avatar

Joined: 03 Dec 2018
Location: Essex/ Cali
Status: Offline
Points: 15
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TheHabitatGardener Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Dec 2018 at 11:50pm
Thanks Chubsta that’s very encouraging. I can’t wait to get started now! I’m planning a wildlife pond and want to build in some hibernacula too. There are two very old ponds in the garden, one in deep shade of ancient trees and one nearer the house a bit clearer of trees and full of loosestrife and yellow flags in summer. Neither hold water all year round and they both take the ditch water from arable fields, so I’m excited to try to join up the dots by introducing a permanent clean water pond nearby. I’ve found newts, frogs and toads in the garden and the previous owners saw a lizard on the day they moved out apparently! There are two good garden ponds in neighbouring gardens close by. And a network of excellent old ponds in a large private garden a few big arable fields (<1 mile) away. I think they have grass snakes there - would they be possible visitors to my garden from that distance does anyone know?
Back to Top
Suzy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1447
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Suzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Dec 2018 at 10:00pm
I get grass snakes occasionally in the garden. We have a sunken stream at the bottom of the garden and that is likely their highway. They too will go under covers and in compost heaps that are covered. Again I started having visits from them when i had not created the wild garden. If there are plenty of ponds about I think your chances of grass snakes are good, if you are near the countryside as you say. 
Suz
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <1234>
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 11.06
Copyright ©2001-2016 Web Wiz Ltd.

This page was generated in 8.656 seconds.