Plea to help little snakes in the grass

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Gardeners can help save Jersey’s rarest reptile from extinction by staying away from their compost heaps for the next few months.

Grass snakes like nesting in warm humid places like compost and manure heaps to incubate their eggs and the Environment department wants to stop people disturbing them until October when any eggs should have hatched.

They’ve launched a ‘Think Grass Snake’ campaign and a university student is now researching ways to protect the Island’s only native snake.

Rob Ward who’s studying for a PHD at the University of Kent said: “Compost and manure heaps are an incredibly valuable feature in gardens and natural areas for many species, especially so for grass snakes at this time of year. We’re asking people not to disturb or turn their compost heaps until October when any eggs should have hatched.

“We’ll also be checking a number of compost heaps for egg shells in early October, and would appreciate the public getting in touch if they find any egg shells in their heaps, or suspect that grass snakes may have been using their compost or manure heaps.”

The Environment department has set up a “spotline” so that you can record sightings of the harmless snakes and so that Mr Ward can build a clearer picture of where they are living and nesting, and how to protect them.

The dedicated number is 441628 and you can also report sightings of egg shells, grass snakes and slow-worms on the Think Grass Snake campaign website www.ThinkGrassSnake.je

Mr Ward is keen to encourage people to create compost heaps as habitat for other wildlife too including hedgehogs, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates and the site gives tips on how to build the best home for them.