Slinky slow-worms

Slide into the slinky world of slow-worms this summer...

Is it any surprise that the House at Hogwarts that's considered cunning and associated with dark magic is called Slytherin? The parts of nature that slither and slink are generally a bit unloved. From worms to snakes, we often recoil at the way they move. Discover more about any of these species, though, and you'll find a world of fascination.

Take the sinuous slow-worm as an example. They may hide away, unseen, in your garden or local greenspace but if you're a keen gardener, they might be your best friend.

Slow-worms are widely found in gardens, allotments, ‘waste’ ground, churchyards and woodland edges across the whole of Worcestershire. Following surveys in the 1990s that discovered large numbers of the reptiles on city allotments, the Faithful City became known as Slow-worm City to those in the know. Colleagues helping communities connect to wildlife in Worcester are finding that this is still true; Worcester’s allotment-holders are proud providers of homes for these wonderful creatures.

As for being the best friend of plant-lovers, an allotment-holder in Worcester once told of watching a slow-worm polish off 17 slugs in one sitting. Whether you’ve got a garden or can help to influence management of your local greenspace, read on to discover how to identify our slug-munching friends and how you can give them a helping hand.

They may look like snakes but slow-worms are legless lizards. Adult males are grey-brown, sometimes with electric blue specks, with a grey-blue underside and a rather thick-necked appearance. The larger females vary from gold to deep copper with dark stripes along their flanks. Breeding takes place in spring and the young develop in the female for four to five months. Slow-worms are ovoviviparous; they give birth to live young. The hatchlings, which make an appearance in August or September, are a beautiful gold or silver in colour, topped off with a black stripe along the back and with black flanks.

If you’re keen to attract them to your patch, there are several ways you can give them a hand:

Provide safe areas for them to hide from predators (birds, mammals or even your cat) – log piles or a hidden mound of rubble is a great start.
Offer somewhere for them to warm up – they love to shelter under sheets of corrugated metal, roofing felt and the like placed on the ground in warm spots.
Leave some areas a little wild – long grass can be a great place for slow-worms to go hunting in.
Start a compost heap – these are wonderfully warm places for slow-worms and can provide brilliant hunting grounds.
Be careful when mowing or strimming – always check for wildlife first.

If you pop down roofing felt or similar for them to shelter under, you might want to check every so often just to see if you’ve got slow-worms where you are. If you spot ‘reptile mats’ when you’re out for a walk, however, please don’t lift them up. Whilst a quick look by one person may not cause too much disturbance, the combined effect of lots of people doing it, will. Whilst they'll usually quickly slither away if spotted, if one hangs around please don't be tempted to pick it up. Amazingly, they're able to drop and regenerate their tail in order to flee but it's much better for them not to have to lose their tail in the first place.

We’d love to know how slow-worm populations are doing in Worcestershire. If you’ve got them where you are or you see one when you’re out and about, please take a quick picture and upload the details via our short Wildlife Sightings form.