Snakes Alive!

After what seems like weeks of inactivity due to work commitments, I finally managed to get out for a couple of hours yesterday and decided to go herping up on the Blackdowns. The result was this stunning grass snake Natrix natrix helvetica. It's the first I've seen for a while but they never fail to fascinate me. Nature's great at making you forget about all your worries for a while - getting close to wildlife should be available on the NHS.

Probably the last thing a frog sees...

Grass snake, Natrix natrix helvetica: R. Harris

Grass snake, Natrix natrix helvetica - the tongue length
is always surprising! : R. Harris

Grass snake, Natrix natrix helvetica: R. Harris

Grass snake, Natrix natrix helvetica: R. Harris

Grass snake, Natrix natrix helvetica: R. Harris

Grass snake, Natrix natrix helvetica - portrait shot: R. Harris