British reptiles.

Part five the slow worm.

Despite looking like a snake, The slow worm is actually a limbless lizard. Gardens, farms, parks, scrub land and woods are their favoured habitat. They hibernate from October to march, They usually hibernate underground. When they emerge from hibernation they may be seen basking in the spring sunshine. They then mate during April and may, Male slow worms will fight each other at this time, They seize each other at the head and sometimes may cause serious injury from their bites. The young are then born between August and September. The female slow worm will lay her eggs in a place that generates heat, A compost heap is their favoured spot. Each young slow worm is born in a membranous egg which breaks open within seconds of being born. The young are preyed on by frogs and toads. Slow worms take up to three years to reach maturity. Unlike snakes the slow worm has eyelids and a broad flat tongue and rows of scales Whereas a snake has a membrane that covers their eye and a forked tongue and single scales. Adult slow worms vary in colour from greyish to light and dork or coppery brown. Females have dark brown flanks and a darker belly with a paler back than the males, The male slow worm is a more uniform colour. They grow up to about forty five centimeters in size and just over half is their tail. If threatened or seized by prey, The slow worm can shed its tail to enable it to escape. The tail will regrow but never to its original length. Slugs and spiders are their main food source, But they may also eat small creatures, But they will only eat live prey and will not eat carrion. The slow worm has no visible ear holes unlike most lizards. Slow worms can live longer than any other lizards and may live up to ten years in the wild.

Autumn equinox.

This is one of the pagan quarter festivals when day and night are in perfect balance again all over the world. The sun enters the star sign of Libra, Bringing balance and harmony. The equinoxes prepare us for change in the earth`s energy. This is the transition into the winter season which we must all respond to. Things start moving fast from now onwards. As a pagan the autumn equinox is really important to me. The way i see it is that everything co-exists together and we need both sides to be balanced and whole. The seen and the  unseen, The known and the un-known, Creation and destruction, Death and re-birth. Preparations and intentions for the coming winter months must be made now. The days are shortening and the increasing cold are here to remind us that change is coming. The leaves are changing colour and falling from the trees; The fruit is now ripening and needs to be gathered in. Outside jobs needs to be completed. The sap in the trees and plants is moving down now. This is the beginning of root energy and brings sleep, rest and renewal to the tree in preparation for spring. This is now a chance for all of life to go within and re-enter the dark womb of the spiritual world. This is the balance between the outer journey and the inner journey, Which provides a strong foundation for our lives . Autumn is a time for long term planning and incubation. The seed ideas we plant now will re-emerge in the spring changed, transformed and strengthened by their time in the unconscious. We have become disconnected from the natural world and the source and our inner knowing. Use the Autumn equinox to reclaim the balance . Give thanks to the harvest and appreciate all that the earth has provided for us. I always see what i can give back to the earth. The endless cycle brings renewal and new opportunities to explore and understand ourselves.Happy equinox.

British reptiles.

Part four the common lizard.

The common lizard is found throughout the British isles and may live upto six years. Common lizards can be found in various habitats, Heathland, Sand dunes, and grass or grass covered banks are some of the best places to find them. They emerge from hibernation in early spring and might be seen taking in solar radiation on early mornings. Common lizards mate in April with some wonderful courtships with the male trying to impress the female. Then up to eight young are born in midsummer. The young are born fully formed, each in a transparent capsule that usually breaks at birth, They may be born together at once or over a one or two day period.Common lizard have a varied diet which includes harvestman,flies,beetles,caterpillars and spiders which they may hunt during warm summer days. They will pounce on their prey, shake it to stun their prey, they then swallow it whole.  Common lizards may be predated themselves by smooth snakes,adders,rats and kestrels, However if a common lizard is captured it may shed its tail to enable it to escape from its prey. A new tail will regrow but never to its original size. Common lizards are a dull brown in colour with a tinge of red,yellow,green or grey with a dark back stripe, They also have dark side stripes. The female is normally fatter than the male and about six inches in length. Common lizards are very agile with very sharp claws which are wide spreading, Enabling them to be great climbers. They have short legs and a tail that is normally longer than their body.The underside of the male is orange with black spots, The female has a lemon-yellow colour underside with no spots. Lizards have rows of scales across their underside unlike snakes who have single scales. The transparent surface layer of is shed periodically. It is scraped off in pieces, making the lizard look ragged until all of the skin has come off. Common lizards can spend all of their lives on land unlike newts who go back to water to breed. Common lizards are viviparous like adders, They keep their eggs inside their body until they are ready to hatch. They have fantastic smell and sight senses.

Things to look out for in september.

Our hedgerows come alive during September, Blackberries, Hawthorns, Damsons, Elderberries and sloes are just a few of the delights on show. When you are walking around a woodland or through a meadow look out for signs of woodmice. They will leave the remains of most of these berries in their nest as they leave the remains of the Autumn harvest. Seeds are wood mice's main food during the year but during Autumn and winter they will eat various fruits of the hedgerow. They will make their small burrows along the hedgerow. For yourself many a beautiful apple and blackberry crumble has been created during September. Swallows and house martins will start to gather on wires throughout Worcestershire as they slowly start the long migration back to South Africa. We will also say goodbye to chiffchaffs, whitethroats,willow warblers and sedge and reed warblers as they plan their migration south. Chaffinch`s are swallowed up by European migrants during September. Their numbers increase so this generates large flocks of chaffinch`s flying around Worcestershire. Muntjac deer are active during September around brambles and grasses feeding as they move through a woodland. Muntjac deer don`t rut so they don't have a fixed breeding seasons. The doe`s can conceive after a few days of fawning and may give birth every seven months. Sweet chestnuts and hazel nuts are plentiful as well during September. Make sure though you get to harvest them before the bank voles, wood mice or squirrel`s eat them all. Depending on the shape of the nut shell on the ground you can tell what animal has eaten the nut. Unlike common frogs and toads, Smooth newts tend to hibernate close to their ponds or streams where they have b red. They will start to leave the water during September. They will look for a log or stone in rough vegetation, They  will then spend the winter under the log or stone and emerge in spring. Oak bush crickets which is a small green cricket and dark bush crickets which are slightly larger and brown may be seen in your during September. Seven spotted lady birds can still be seen in high numbers during September. They are looking for the last of the aphids before the could weather kills them all.Cranefly and harvestmen can be seen in your gardens in high numbers. September just wouldn`t be the same without them flying around your back light at night. Dor beetles can be seen on paths or flying to lights on warm evenings. They are armoured waste disposal units and their skeletons and wing cases often turn up in badger and fox droppings, Making them appear to glitter like metallic-purple jewels. Finally if you grow honey suckle in your garden you may see the convolvulas hawk moth. They migrate here from southern Europe and northern Africa.

Mixed species flock.

This is one of the strategies that woodland birds employ when their food supply becomes scarce. There are a number of benefit's for them doing this. Between them the birds have more eyes to look for the food. They will then use less energy finding the food. Any energy used will have to be replenished so its important that they all find a reliable food source. As they are in a mixed flock their are then more eyes to look out for predators. Some of the flock will act as guard to the other birds, They will give a call if a sparrow hawk flies over them. Blue tits need to find forty% of their body weight everyday to enable them to survive. Blue tits may loose up to sixty% of their population in a mild winter. If they loose these high numbers then the females will lay lots of eggs in the spring to regenerate the numbers that have been lost during the winter.