ADDER © Purbeck Footprints Wildlife Photography
Sightings of adders have been coming in thick and fast at Durlston as they emerge from hibernation.
Volunteer work parties have been busy clearing areas of gorse on the park’s south-facing slopes, providing the perfect spots for these snakes to bask in the sun.
Durlston rangers predict that by mid-April, there will be a lot of activity on warm days, with males looking for females and occasionally wrestling with other males for supremacy. Visitors may even be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a baby adder. Unlike most reptiles, adders don’t lay eggs and young snakes are born about the size and shape of an earthworm.
Wildlife Photographer Julian Sawyer, from Purbeck Footprints, said: “Although the adder is the only venomous snake native to Britain, they are not aggressive animals at all and only use their venom as a last resort when threatened.”
As well as scrub clearance, lots of the recent work carried out by rangers and volunteers at Durlston benefits adders and now everyone’s hard work is paying off. Particularly important tasks include providing extra basking sites and shelter by creating log and rock piles in sunny areas, and maintaining vegetation links between good adder habitats to help them colonise new areas. At this rate Durlston looks set to remain an adder haven for years to come.
You can see adders and a variety of other animals and plants at Durlston Country Park. Ranger-led guided walks take place regularly as well as many other events for all ages. For more information, please visit www.durlston.co.uk.
