There's a snake in the grass... or is it in the pond?
The grass snake is another creature we want you to look out for this week as part of our Make Your Nature Count survey.
Another name for it is water snake, as this slithery customer is very much at home in the water. A toad, newt or frog is its idea of a tasty snack. So you might well spot one going for a swim in your garden pond, or basking at the water's edge.
If you have a garden compost heap, that's another place you could find a grass snake lurking. The warmth of the decomposing veg peelings, teabags and grass clippings (or whatever you have in there) make a snug nest for snake eggs. So watch out for dinky snakelets. They start very small, but adults can reach up to more than a metre long.
A grass snake is harmless to humans but if provoked or startled can make a pungent smell! The UK's only venomous species, the adder, can be told from the grass snake by the dark zigzag pattern on its back, while the grass snake sports a rather smart, lemon-yellow collar.
Happy snake spotting!
Listen!