
This wonderful shining knot of slow worms were coiled up together in the warm compost bin. They aren’t worms or snakes, but harmless legless lizards that share our garden and eat the slugs.
We used to be delighted if we saw one basking on a sunny day all golden smooth in the bright light. Winston the cat used to bring them to us occasionally, unharmed but tailless where they had dropped their wriggling tail in the hope of distracting a predator while they escaped. He seems to have grown out of that habit and the slow worms have happily raised families in the warmth and safely of the lidded plastic compost bin. There were at least six when the lid was raised to deposit the daily offerings of tea leaves and potatoes peelings and most just slid away amongst the cuttings and warmly decomposing compost. You can see three heads of the ones who were slower to move.
Apparently they can stay intertwined when mating for 10 hours, so there may have been good reason for their sluggishness!
I like to think of our kitchen “rubbish” breeding such beauty!

I now quite fancy spaghetti tonight.
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Yum
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I have not seen slow worms in France, yet. I have only seen the odd lizard, but they are everywhere. Amelia
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A closed plastic compost bin seems to shelter them here when it is a cool summer.
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As attractive as they are, seeing them made me shudder a little. I think the fear, or at least respect, of snakes or snake-like creatures is deeply embedded in our reptilian brains!
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The secret is to pick one up. They are warm, smooth and very easy to handle which takes way all the shudders!
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If I ever come across them, I will remember your advice!
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Beautiful creatures. 10 hours a-mating? WOW!
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It is a disturbing thought!
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I’m not keen on these, nor snakes, and thankfully have never seen any on my compost heap. xx
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I a sure you would like them if you saw one! Xx
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