Time for a change...

Today we attended a guided walk at a nearby nature reserve where there is e a small population of adders. A number of reptile tins were examined, and under one there was a pair of adders. The male slithered away immediately, but the female was very immobile and allowed the whole group to have a good look at her. It soon became clear why she was behaving so oddly.

The entire skin of a snake is shed on a regular basis, often two to four times a year. Prior to shedding there is an inactive period of about a week during which the spectacle becomes opaque, which explains why her eye is bluish-white in contrast to its normally transparent state. The opacity results from a separation of the spectacle layers by a lymph-like fluid. In the wild this may render the snake partially blind and vulnerable to attack. During the actual shedding the spectacle returns to the transparent state. It is shed with the rest of the skin during ecdysis.

After much admiration she slithered into the long grass, but will probably soon return to the safety of her tin to shed. In total I saw eight reptiles today - one grass snake (at the Boardwalks), three adders and four slow-worms - always a privilege to see these wonderful creatures that are so often hidden from our view.