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This sheet tells you about our !agship species the to young rather than laying . Technically however slow with guidelines on how to help the female slow worm actually holds the eggs in a and amphibians generally. membrane within her body until the young are born in August or September. This type of ‘live birth’ is called FLAGSHIP SPECIES ‘ovoviviparity’. The slow worm is a harmless species of found UISPVHIPVUUIF6,4MPXXPSNTDBOEPXFMMJOCPUI Staying within the law rural and urban places and burial grounds can be really All reptiles are protected by law and it is illegal to good for them. With a little extra care a site can become deliberately kill, injure or sell them. suitable for slow and at the same time help other reptiles such as grass and amphibians such as frogs, toads and newts. How to help slow worms, other reptiles and The slow worm is a !agship species of Caring for amphibians God’s Acre. t )BWFBWBSJFUZPGIBCJUBUTTVDIBT We are working with Amphibian and Reptile di"erent lengths of grass, nettles, Conservation and Amphibian and Reptile Groups brambles, hedges and stone walls. UK to encourage slow worms in burial grounds and Leave some tussocky grass or to "nd out which sites they are using. scrub, next to a wall or hedge. t ,FFQTPNFBSFBTGSFFPGUBMMUSFFT and dense scrub. Although slow worms like to stay under cover in grassy areas, it is important that these areas are open to the sun so that the ground warms up su#ciently for the slow worms to be active. Trees and scrub give too KNOW YOUR SLOW much shade; slow worms favour Yorkshire Fog WORMS long and tussocky grassland. The slow worm is often Slow worms need to keep their body temperature o mistaken for a but is in the high 20 C to digest food and for the young to actually a without legs. It develop in the female. has eyelids, a !at forked tongue t )BWFBDPNQPTUIFBQ QSFGFSBCMZJOBTVOOZTJUVBUJPO and can drop its tail to escape from a predator. All of It will become a basking site, a place for grass snakes these are features of not snakes. Slow worms to lay eggs and slow worms to hunt for food. Watch grow from 4cm at hatching to about 30cm long and out for grass snake eggs in compost heaps; these are can live a long time; the record is held by a male slow white, leathery and about 3cm long. Young hatch in worm which lived for 54 years in Copenhagen Zoo! August or September so do not empty the compost Like all reptiles slow worms use the heat of the sun heap until October. to warm themselves. However they rarely bask out in the open, but usually stay under cover, often in long grass, woodpiles and compost heaps where they hunt for slow moving prey such as and worms. They hibernate over winter amongst tussocky grass, log piles, compost heaps or stones, emerging in spring and breeding in May. Slow worms are described as ‘giving birth’ Slow Worm )"7&/4'038*-%-*'& 4MPX8PSNTBOE0UIFS3FQUJMFTBOE"NQIJCJBOT t .BLFBEFBEXPPEQJMFJOMPOHPSUVTTPDLZHSBTT Finding slow worms Slow worms, frogs, toads and newts hibernate and Although found across Britain slow worms are rarely hunt here. As the wood rots away the amount of food seen. To $nd out if you have slow worms look under increases. A pile of stones can provide hibernating ‘cover objects’ such as pieces of carpet or corrugated and resting places. iron (see sheet B10, Surveying for Plants and ) t 8IFODVUUJOH DIFDLUIFBSFBJTDMFBSCFGPSFVTJOH as well as keeping an eye out prior to cutting grass. mowers and strimmers in long or tussocky grass. Tell us about your burial site wildlife t .POVNFOUTDBOTIFMUFSSFQUJMFTBOEBNQIJCJBOT Walls and chest tombs make good shelter. Tussocky Let Caring for God’s Acre or Amphibian and Reptile grass around monuments and against walls, ideally Conservation know about slow worms and other linked to other areas of long grass, is ideal. interesting reptiles and amphibians seen.

Frog Toad

Useful contacts Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, www.arc-trust.org "NQIJCJBOBOE3FQUJMF(SPVQT6,oBOFUXPSLPGMPDBMHSPVQT XXXBSHVLPSH Caring for God’s Acre – tell us what you have found in your site, www.caringforgodsacre.org.uk Froglife, www.froglife.org Useful reading Reptiles and Amphibians of Britain and Ireland – Field Studies Council fold-out chart 3FQUJMFTBOE"NQIJCJBOTPGUIF6, XXXIFSQFUPGBVOBDPVL

Common Lizard )"7&/4'038*-%-*'& 4MPX8PSNTBOE0UIFS3FQUJMFTBOE"NQIJCJBOT Food / predators Food on small mammals Feeds &BUTUBEQPMFT GSPHTBOEöTI Insects &BUTTMVHT DBUFSQJMMBSTBOEJOTFDUT Food / predators Food Insects, eggs and slugs, tadpoles of other amphibians. &BUFOCZIFSPOT PUUFST and of prey birds occasionally, is shortmammals when food Habitat and lakes during laying ditches ponds, in and around Found etc. meadows in woods, periods but also found all amphibians include: for Good features habitat t(BQTVOEFSøBHTUPOFTGPSXJOUFSIJCFSOBUJPO t%FBEXPPEGPSXJOUFSIJCFSOBUJPO t"UUSBDUJOTFDUTBOETMVHTBTBTPVSDFPGGPPE t"QPOEGPSCSFFEJOHJOXJUIMPUTPGQMBOUTUPQSPWJEFTIFMUFS t-POHHSBTTUPIJEFGSPNQSFEBUPST Habitat 1SFGFSTXPPEMBOEFEHFIFBUIMBOECSBDLFOIBCJUBUT 0GUFOGPVOEOFBSXBUFS MPOHFSHSBTT&HHTPGUFOMBJEJODPNQPTU heaps needs both dry, edges, $ eld and woodland in grassland, Found escape to of longer grass short and areas sunbathe to grassland into Compost margins. woodland borders, with grassy Hedgerows banks sunny Warm hibernation. heaps for

Largest newt. Male newt. has a Largest DNMPOH CSPXOZFMMPXCSPX Warty skin more brown than frog’s. skinWarty brown more Smooth skin, greenish brown to to Smooth skin, brown greenish can be confused with smooth newt can be confused Male well marked with spotted marked with spotted Male well Olive body, darkish spots or streaks, darkish spots or streaks, body, Olive A legless lizard, 30cm long. Males grey, Males grey, 30cm long. A legless lizard, Only venomous snake in Britain. Only venomous Common British Amphibians and Reptiles British Amphibians Common AMPHIBIANS Smooth newt season. ! anks in breeding newt Palmate distinguish is to season. Best way outside breeding of smooth newt. throat using spotted newt crested Great striking season. during breeding crest frog Common with darker blotches. in colour olive toad Common is an essential Water churchyard. your can improve you an amphibian and see how cycle a typical for life Follow all the time. in water they live that misconception but it is a common cycle, life part of an amphibian’s REPTILES Animal Adder grey to yellow on back;Zigzag pattern creamy in females reddish more generally colouring; snake Grass 70- behind head, and black collar distinct yellow 100cm in length lizard Common markingsGreen with striped back worm Slow small blue spots on ! ank, often having females and black with line on back brown