Slow-Worm

Slow-worm from above. Derbyshire, Peak District National Park. Every Spring for the last couple of years I have focused on adding to my British reptile and amphibian portfolio. Some species have been relatively easy to locate and photograph, but time and time again slow-worms had eluded me, despite extensive research and help from various experts. After countless unsuccessful trips again one year I finally found this adult slow-worm in a white peak dale. To many of you this may not be the most interesting or exciting subject but I’m thrilled to have finally seen one. Perseverance really does pay!

About the Slow-worm

The slow-worm is neither a worm nor a snake, but is, in fact, a legless lizard – its identity is given away by its abilities to shed its tail and blink with its eyelids. Slow-worms can be found in heathland, tussocky grassland, woodland edges and rides where they can find invertebrates to eat and a sunny patch in which to sunbathe. They are often found in mature gardens and allotments, where they like hunting around the compost heap. However, if you have a cat, you are unlikely to find them in your garden as cats predate them. Like other reptiles, slow-worms hibernate, usually from October to March.” – https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/reptiles/slow-worm