(01)Common Toad [Bufo bufo]. Easily distinguished from the common frog by its warty olive-drab dry skin and an inclination to move with a lethargic crawl rather than hop. Breeds in ponds and lakes in the spring but at other times can even be found in dry places where it feeds on a wide range of insects, worms and slugs. It shelters during the heat of the day and hibernates during the winter under stones, fallen timber and dense vegetation. They live for many years and are not mature adults until three or four years have elapsed.

(02)Adder [Vipera berus]. Our only poisonous snake usually just over half a metre in length when fully grown, and occasionally approaching one metre, the female generally being broader and longer. The colour is variable but the male tends towards pale grey with black markings, whilst the females and the young are browner.       ..... Click on  » footnote  to continue with these notes.

(03)Adder [Vipera berus]. A basking female adder had been keeping a wary eye on the strange encroacher. Somewhat perturbed, she eventually moved off at a considerable rate, enabling me to assess her length as close to thirty inches.