Often falsely vilified, Adders are a shy and sensitive species. Identified by the zig-zag pattern down their body, the males tend to have a black zig-zag on a grey background, whereas females have a paler zig-zag and a more caramel background. This differentiates them from our other native snake species, the Grass Snake and Smooth Snake. There are in fact six native reptile species in the UK! (Right photograph: Adder, photo credit: Samuel Betts)
Adders are a protected species and recent UK study has shown 90% of populations are in decline. They depend on similar habitats to many butterfly species which are also in decline, as understood from work on the Back from the Brink project, 2017 – 2021. Creating glades, scallops and wider rides ensures not only ensures Adders have spaces to bask, warming their muscles in the morning, but also allows females to have safe places with suitable conditions to incubate their eggs.
Working with ARG Northants and receiving training recently, we will be supporting in monitoring Adder populations throughout a network of sites in Rockingham Forest alongside our work on the Chequered Skipper butterfly, and generally when we are out-and-about!
Alan Butler led the training and critically we learned how to safely check refugia, understanding the preferred habitats and behaviours of some of our UK reptiles and discussed how we can effectively work together throughout the project. Samuel Betts gave us some wonderful educational tangents on adders and ensured we left well-informed about adder bites and reassured us of how unlikely they were but also the best steps to take should they occur. We look forward to sharing our experiences with Adders and other reptiles across the season.