Basking in the sunshine

I took advantage of the recent warm weather to visit the snakes again.  When I arrived, shortly after sunrise, it was already 12℃.  At first there were no snakes to be seen and I wondered if they were already warmed up and I was too late.  However, the second time along the bank I found an adder so maybe they were just having a lie in.

A short distance farther I found a slow worm hidden in the grass.

A bit farther still and there was the smallest snake I have ever seen, thinner than my little finger.  It had orange eyes, paler than the red eyes of the adults.  The red thing underneath it is a red velvet mite (Trombidium sp.).  Although you might think this is the sort of thing a baby adder eats for breakfast, the red colour is a clue to the fact that it is toxic and should be avoided by predators.  In this case the adder ignored it and the mite got away.

Then another adder, mostly hidden in the leaves.

And another slow worm.  When it stuck out its tongue you can see it has a lizard's tongue and not the forked tongue of a snake.

The next adder was a bit easier to see.  While I stood and watched it occasionally shifted its coils so that all the parts were warmed by the sun.

Then a paler snake, also adjusting its position from time to time.

This was the last one I saw, not moving and seeming to be fast asleep.