weird grass snake stuff

Thought I'd go to a local site for perhaps the last chance to spot a reptile this year; with temps of 10degC and occasional sun I was thinking perhaps a juv common lizard at best.  But first I found a stone cold grass snake in a bush...



and then, closeby, a speckled individual, also very cold...



I then decided to turn a nearby tin, also stone cold, and found a male and female grass snake entwined as if having mated or preparing to mate... circumstantial, I know, but I can't fathom why else they would be under a stone cold tin twined together

Hi Jason

yes, me too - but they're evidently still out and about. 

I've not seen one speckled like this before, with the front half liberally flecked with duck-egg blue, fading to the tail.  However, twenty years ago at the same site, I found a specimen which had whitish speckles along the whole body, and took a slide of it (remember slide photography and slide projectors?! I regularly used a projector which overheated and melted my prized slides...)  So, here's a photo of the speckled one from yesterday from above, and below this is a copy of the old slide of one of its possible ancestors from a couple of decades ago:

Amazing Will. Thanks for sharing those. I love seeing colour and pattern variations in our snakes.

I had a similar day late last week in that it was apparently too cold and overcast for natrix. At best I was hoping to record adder and the usual pre-hibernation natrix sloughs in bracken. As well as several adder and half a dozen natrix sloughs i also recorded four active grass snakes (two at the hibernaculum), including one male and female entwined (not apparently mating or within close range of a potential hibernation site). The weather really was poor (no sun all day) and a brisk cool wind was whipping through the site with occasional drizzle (no tins at this site). I found it notable as a strange day of herping

I just got back from checking one of my woodland sites that has both small adder & grass snake populations. No sign of any snakes today unfortunately. There were no adders visible at their hibernaculum either. I did see an adult female slow worm slithering over damp leaves on the edge of the woods. I picked her up to see how cold she was and she was very cold indeed. She could barely move. I surprised she was out when there was no sun in the sky to warm her up.