Adders a plenty, but no Baldrick in sight

Anyone near the east end of the seawall a few days ago may have heard some unladylike language. Well,you see, I come from Ireland where, legend has it, St Patrick kindly drove out the snakes some time ago. And yes, you guessed it, I had just nearly stepped on my first Adder or Viper - Vipera berus!
To be fair to the beautiful beast, as it was, it was just having a quiet doze in the sun, on the grass at the top of the seawall and minding its own business.Despite being the only venomous snake native to Britain,  they are not aggressive animals. Adders are placid and retiring and  will only use their venom as a last means of defence, usually if caught or trodden on! No one has died from adder bite in Britain for over 20 years - With proper treatment, the worst effects are nausea and drowsiness.Adders are protected by law against being killed or injured through human activity.
However, if you are a dog owner take care - Adder bites are sometimes, though rarely, fatal to pets. Recent evidence suggests that the snakes venom is more potent during March/April after the animals leave hibernation,when they may also be sleepy and sluggish, so extra caution should be taken when walking dogs at this time. Wear suitable footwear, keep dogs on leads and take care when sitting down in areas where Adders are known to occur.
Although, at the time, I regretably didn't hang around to take a good look, I have  seen others since and had a better look from a safe distance. Most adders are distinctively marked with a dark zigzag running down the length of the spine and an inverted 'V' shape on the neck. Males are generally white or pale grey with a black zigzag. Females are a pale brown colour, with a darker brown zigzag. But some adders are entirely black and can be mistaken for some other species.
The best time to see them is in early spring, when they emerge from their hibernation dens. By mid April, the males have shed their dull winter skin and are ready to find a mate. There is a lot of frenzied activity on warm days, with males looking for females and occasionally wrestling with other males for supremacy. The 'dance of the adders' was thought to be a mating display, but it is a larger male attempting to drive off a smaller one. The snakes writhe around each other in an impressive way, often covering the ground at great speed.
Following mating, females seek out a suitable place to give birth, often travelling over 1 kilometre from the hibernation site. Births take place in late August / early September, so keep an eye out for babies then. Adders do not lay eggs, but give birth in late summer to approximately 8 live young about the size and shape of an earthworm. Adders usually only reproduce every other year in the UK.
There are lots of myths and fables surrounding snakes. Snakes, and especially the Adder, were very significant to the Druids in particular.  To them adders represented the renovation of mankind - a symbolism that probably related to the apparent re-birth of snakes every time they shed their skins. They were also kept by them and made important divinations and decisions based on their movements.  Given the folklore surrounding wallasea island of old, and nearby Canewdon with its history of witches, it seems appropriate to finish this week with a little Shakespeare...

“Eye of newt and toe of frog.
Wool of bat and tongue of dog
Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting
Lizards leg and owlets wing.” [Macbeth Act IV, Scene 1]

I will be on leave next week, so there will be a guest blogger in this spot - please make him welcome!