Snake!

Snake & Woods

Getting diesel the other day we came across a young man who felled trees. We spoke and he was interested in our wood for coppicing. We invited him over and we took a long stroll through the woods looking at trees. I learnt a lot about the wood and the things chestnut, hornbeam and other trees are good for.

On out return we checked the bridge over the stream for strength – it had to get a heavy tractor and trailer over it. The young man jumped onto the side of the stream and there was a load hiss. He had just missed jumping on a snake! His boot inches away for it. The snake was more scared than the lad, who had quickly jumped up again onto the bridge, was wriggling away, or trying to as it was stuck in some hardcore.

It was a beautiful creature, dark, over two feet long and quite fat. It had obviously just eaten and was resting on the mud in the hot sun. We stood and watched it for a while until it finally managed to escape. It was an Adder, the only poisonous snake in Britain.  So a good warning for us to watch out and to be aware one is in nature. Safer than the city but with its own dangers for the unaware.