Grow Your Own Magazine

Have just got back from spending another lovely day at the allotment. Lots of clearing and we found 3 slow worms in different parts of the plot. Feel quite honoured as mother in her 70's stated she'd never seen one in her whole life. Looked on the net and think they are good to have around - eat slugs? and i know they are protected.

Lucky you indeed, you are honoured! We have them in the garden, they are beautiful creatures and yes will eat up your slugs for you too! Bonus!

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Imagination is everything, it is a preview of what is to become.

A year or so ago I would have said they were rare round here. This year though, a local naturalist friend found one a few miles away. Then a week later my son-in-law found one in their garden. They are indeed friendly to gardeners.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 17th - The Big Dig

I remember playing with slow worms when I was a kid but I must add (no pun intended) a note of caution after reading somewhere recently of someone who was bitten by an adder thinking it was a slow worm!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

I must admit i came out of the hedge at 90 miles an hour screaming very loud, swearing as well thinking i'd found a snake!!!! woman on a few plots over now thinks i'm mad.

We've just found a slow worm too - made middle daughters day (she is the next David Attenborough ) he was very obliging and let everyone get a good look before he disappeared. Lovely

Oh, and we also have a bumble bee nest in an old compost bin - have persuaded OH that we really must leave them where they are until they 'buzz off' in the autumn! All we need now are some toads...

Having said we found 3 on that day back in June, we seem to see them everytime we go up and disappointed if we don't now. the last one was biggest so far and a beautiful bronze colour. And 2 toads!!! wildlife haven.

You lucky thing. Whereabouts are you lesalou, could you put your vague whereabouts into your 'User CP' then 'Edit your details' (see menu top left)?

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Manda.

"Wouldn't it be nice
For maybe an hour
To not have a care."

We are lucky enough to have many slow worms in the garden, the grandchildren get very excited! A few years ago I wanted to mow the grass, but there were two 'entwined' slow worms in the way, I carefully lifted them and put them in a bucket out of the way, forgot about them for a few hours and then went to put them back in the grass - they were still 'entwined' despite their little trip

you are lucky, we were helping in my in laws garden the other day and there was some old carpet in the undergrowth.

I was hoping there would be some slow worms under it, but alas no.

Not seen any in the wild in the flesh since I was about 8 (a few years ago now!)

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Mr D
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www.storesprite.com

I've had some in the garden for a few years since I've moved to Billericay - and nine times out of ten I'll find them in the compost heap under the carpet if you're looking!

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Douglas

http://www.myvegetablegarden.co.uk/ - under construction

Have a few slow worms at the bottom of the lottie. There are also lizards but not expert enough to tell you what sort. Also found a small toad the other day. I am always being told to tidy up the bottom bit of my lottie but I'm sure that if I do I will loose some of the wildlife.

Ian

We have a toad who lives under a piece of underlay, decided to call him Terrence. nice name i thought!!!!

Have to say, Ive never seen a fast worm?

gojiberry- most likely a common lizard- cant see you having the especially rare sand lizard in your lottie unless you've got your own bit of lowland heathland down south! it wasnt bright green was it? as that pretty much rules out anything else such as a green lizard or wall lizard which are both alien species but known to exist in the UK. the male sand lizard is also green on its sides if thats any help, way to recognise female sand lizard is black spots with white dots inside them, often forming two lines on the top of her back/sides.


i love slow worms! last year i had my reptile handling licence and surveyed out on the heathland where i was doing my uni placement year. I saw tons and tons of slow worms under the tins, and a large amount of smooth snakes which is a feat as they are extremely rare! (must have seen well over 50 over the summer) and i regularly saw sand lizards too! love them all! i saw 2 grass snakes, but didnt come across a single adder despite how common they are in that area!

are most of you aware that slow worms are infact lizards without legs? if you should ever have the need to pick one up (wouldnt recomend it unless you really have to move one out of the way for its safety- altho thats for their safety not yours, they wont hurt you) turn it over and look at its underside- you will see that the scales on their bodies show a distinct change in pattern betweent he body and the tail. Talking of tails, do be careful how you pick them up as their tails are built to break as a safety mechanism against predators. pick them up by their tails and because their vertibrate in their tails have a specific weakness built in, it will snap off. this can happen at any point along the tail, with any of the vertibrate breaking. usually the tail will then grow back, but they can cope without a tail- sometimes when they grow back it grows back a different colour!

oh... and before i started my placement year in dorset, i had NO idea slow worms even existed lol! i came across one within a few weeks of starting and my love affair with slow worms began :lol:

I've only ever seen slow-worms once and it was in my SIL's field in Wellington.
3 were living in a pile of old logs and we were cutting back the grass for her.
Have to admit we legged it to arms length at first site in case they were snakes ...and on second peek noticed the shape of their mouth and head and realised they weren't snakes after all!

A memorable occasion for us too!!!!

Got em coming out me ears!Anyone want some.lol!

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The greatness comes not when things go always good for you,but the greatness comes when you are really tested,when you take,some knocks,some disappointments;because only if youv'e been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain.

I have oodles on our site, I think I must have moved about thirty when i was clearing a bit at the beginning of the year. We even made a bit of our plot a no go zzone for them and put them there when we found them. Probably why I have so few slugs and snails to contend with.