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Original poster

Grass snakes

35 replies

TheTecknician · 04/04/2025 21:19

Has anybody seen one of these this spring, or ever? I have yet to come across one, yet I go for walks in places where I would expect to stumble across one, e.g. country parks with fields on the borders and a few ponds and slow-flowing streams. Lots of frog spawn so lots of frogs to eat! Now is their time for laying eggs and mellowing out afterwards in the April sunshine...but nothing.

I understand GS favour the warmth and quiet of suburban compost heaps as an egg-laying site. Unfortunately I don't have a compost heap!🐍

OP posts:
CaptainMyCaptain · 04/04/2025 21:29

I would have thought it was a bit early but I'm in Derbyshire so maybe they come out later here.

Oldraver · 04/04/2025 21:31

I've seen a couple in water, one was swimming along a Thames tributary and another slithered across a road and into a pond

OH sees them regularly when fishing

Mum2jenny · 04/04/2025 21:33

Totally random, but I saw my first set of ducklings today, around 8 of them.

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BlondeMummyto1 · 04/04/2025 21:34

My daughter saw some on her secondary school field. The teacher that was close by said they were common.

I would collapse if I seen one 😂

WibbleyPie · 04/04/2025 21:40

I've seen adders but don't think I've encountered a grass snake, I do live near the moors and you need to be careful at this time of year because they're not quite awake and tend not to move away like they normally do if you approach like they do later in the year, it's not unheard of for dogs to get bitten in long grass/undergrowth and there's usually a warning from local vets about it this time of year and what to do.
I really don't like them and will turn around and retrace my steps if I see one!

Trolltrotters · 04/04/2025 21:42

Quite a few like the compost heaps in allotments. Next few plots along from mine had a fairly large snake on theirs last year. He was beautiful! Not sure if they stick around in the same area or move on each year.

StanfreyPock · 04/04/2025 21:50

Seen them in Dorset in a relative's garden, and on a campsite! Quite a few years ago and later in the summer. The one in the garden was only a youngster but trying to strike and very feisty.

thanksamillion · 04/04/2025 21:50

We lived abroad in a country with snakes. Came back to the UK and told the children 'no snakes here, it's all fine'. First day back, walking in long grass and they saw a snake. I grew up in the countryside and literally had never seen one until that day. Children have never believed me about anything since.

TomatoSandwiches · 04/04/2025 21:54

Do you mean slow worms? We used to catch them ( and release ) at the end of the summer holidays in the long grass as a kid.

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 04/04/2025 22:03

I once saw one swimming quite close to me in a flooded gravel pit near a friend’s house. Little snakey head sort of zig-zagging through the water. Apparently grass snakes are very good swimmers. It was a very hot day - maybe he felt like cooling off, too.

Original poster
TheTecknician · 04/04/2025 22:04

I'm sure I've seen a slow worm before - they are quite small lizards with limb issues - but I've never seen any wild snake in the UK; grass, adder or smooth.

Compost heaps are likely to be used as a laying and incubation spot by several female GS. Evidently word gets around regarding suitable sites.

OP posts:
clinellwipe · 04/04/2025 22:08

During spring 2020 I was sunbathing in the garden (Suffolk countryside) when my mum shouted my name to get my attention but couldn’t get any further words out… I sat up and saw this grass snake , that was probably terrified, going full speed towards and then past me! Will never forget the shock I had

WilfredsPies · 04/04/2025 23:11

TheTecknician · 04/04/2025 22:04

I'm sure I've seen a slow worm before - they are quite small lizards with limb issues - but I've never seen any wild snake in the UK; grass, adder or smooth.

Compost heaps are likely to be used as a laying and incubation spot by several female GS. Evidently word gets around regarding suitable sites.

Well I’ve learnt something today. I had no idea that slow worms were actually limbless lizards.

Speckson · 04/04/2025 23:29

I haven't seen a grass snake for many, many years, but have seen adders occasionally. We get slow worms in the garden - beautiful creatures - shiny and golden.

ohnowwhatcanitbe · 04/04/2025 23:34

I saw one when I was a kid - I was sitting beside a stream and it slithered through the grass beside me, down the bank and swam across to the other side. DD saw one a couple of years ago on the path near the river where we live now. So from those two sightings, they do seem to like water.

A friend of mine found an adder with eggs in his compost heap. He made a rather hasty exit and left her to it!

midlandsmummy123 · 04/04/2025 23:41

I had one in my garden once, it was stuck/trapped in an underground well - more of a underground rainwater collector that i wasn't aware of as it was quite an old property - I think they must be quite secretive creatures as that was the only one I ever saw - I did call the rspca as it was obviously a wild snake and erm stuck but they didn't want to know so the other half rescued it and moved it to a safer location, there are actually laws around moving wild snakes and obviously I didn't know if it was injured so was a bit disappointed that the rspca weren't more helpful.

CornishYarg · 04/04/2025 23:59

Saw one a couple of years ago swimming in a river. It was a sunny day and it genuinely looked like it was living its best life - it really looked like it was smiling!

EBearhug · 05/04/2025 00:00

Slow worms are beautiful.

We occasionally had grasssnakes in my childhood garden- one of the cats brought in a baby one once, but they quite liked the pond, too, as did a heron.

Have also seen adders, but I'm not keen on poisonous things, so didn't get close.

Haven't seen any snakes in the wild for years.

CheeseWisely · 05/04/2025 00:05

Not this year but I’ve seen a couple in the past on cliff paths near us. Quite arresting at first unexpected glance but then fascinating watching them slither off into the undergrowth. I like snakes though, would have one as a pet if we had the space.

Grumpsy · 05/04/2025 00:08

They’re common but they generally avoid people, this is why you’ve probably not seen one.

GCAcademic · 05/04/2025 00:10

We used to have them in our garden, they liked the pond. I haven't seen any there for years, though.

Scampuss · 05/04/2025 00:31

I've only ever seen grass snakes once, about 10 years ago had a nest in the compost heap, and saw the juveniles.

Lots of slow worms in the garden.

Airwaterfire · 05/04/2025 00:43

I’m in the south-east and they seem to have got more prevalent in recent years all round here — I’ve seen many in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk in the summer, especially in the recent hot summers — normally in ponds and on grassy banks or quite near seaside sand dunes.

Though when we had the very hot summer a few years ago some poor lady on our local neighbourhood Facebook group posted in terror for help because a snake was in her house, and had gone under one of her kitchen cupboards! She was not from the U.K. and was absolutely terrified it was poisonous. Thankfully she posted a photo of the poor thing and local posters were able to reassure her that it was clearly just a harmless grass snake, and more terrified of her than she was of it.

I’ve also seen both slow worms and adders in the past, but only in the highlands in Scotland. I think they like the heathery rock landscape.

vriirfblred · 05/04/2025 01:09

We used to have tons in our fields at school.

SiobhanSharpe · 05/04/2025 01:17

They are essentially water snakes, grass is a bit of a misnomer.
I saw one in our old garden, we used to live in a fairly rural location and we had a pond too. It was full of tadpoles in the spring, and also crested newts.
(DS's hobby used to be herpetology until he outgrew it.)