The Grass Snake (Natrix natrix)

Copyright Howard Inns 

This is our biggest snake which can grow well over a metre in length.  Typically this snake is grey-green in colour with a distinct yellow and black collar round the neck, black bars down the side and sometimes two rows of black marks down the back. The Grass Snake is often associated with water, it swims well and feeds mainly on amphibians and fish. It is a sun loving animal and is most often encountered basking in the sun.

The Grass Snake is found throughout England and Wales but gets extremely scarce in the north and there are no confirmed records from Scotland.  It is absent from Ireland.  It is Britain’s only egg laying snake.  Females lay eggs in June or July, normally in rotting vegetation (such as a compost heap) which acts as an incubator.  The eggs hatch into miniature versions of the adults in September.

The Grass Snake often comes into gardens, particularly in rural or semi-rural parts of the south, in search of fish or frogs from garden ponds or to use the compost heap to lay eggs in. A key part of the conservation strategy for this species is to educate and encourage tolerance amongst people lucky enough to have this species in their gardens. Grass Snakes are non-venomous and despite the fact that they hiss and strike they rarely bite. Their main defence is the fact that they are alert and extremely quick and usually make off before they are spotted.  If cornered they can feign death, and if handled frequently, defecate producing a foul smelling excretion.

Grass Snakes are protected by law in Great Britain against being killed, injured or sold or traded in any way.