Sloughing Adders

The first post-slough adders were around today, infact one male was still getting rid of the tail-end of his skin. The new skin looked truely spectacular and shiny in the sunlight.


Spectacular male with female just visible



The same large and well marked male checking for interloping males

He had found a female, who was well hidden, with only her rear few coils in the sun and head hidden, but peering out of a grass tussock. The male spent some time patrolling and returning to check on the female.

Also two grass snakes here, one basking on the top of some heather.


Grass snake


At another site, the male adders had not yet sloughed, but were quite close to doing so. Several had quite opaque eyes.


Male adder ready for sloughing



Opaque eye scale. The eye scales are included when sloughing occurs.

Most hibernacula found seem to occur at the base of gorse bushes which are quite bushy down to the base. I would guess that this may be due to the warm microclimate and lack of wind, as much as protection from predators.