Our native grass snake has been promoted but remains elusive

Little Bradley Ponds, South DevonTaxonomy tussles aside, spotting any grass snake can be far from easy, and I circled the ponds several timesThis small nature reserve was my final stop: a tranquil oasis surrounded by woodland and set back from the road near Bovey Tracey in south Devon. I had spent the morning visiting gardens in search of grass snakes, nosing around compost heaps and scanning the edges of ponds without luck. Reptiles known to inhabit one glorious wildlife-friendly property on th