2024

Laura and I went exploring we haven't been to in a long time. It was beautiful spring weather and it was great seeing all the plants in full bloom again. The Marsh Frogs (Pelophylax ridibundus) were calling and the Sand Lizards (Lacerta agilis) running around in search for a mate. In a small ditch we spotted a small Grass Snake (Natrix natrix), but the stars of the day were four beautiful Aesculapian Snakes (Zamenis longissimus).

After seeing many shed skins the previous weekend, Laura and I knew that the reproduction for the Adders is about to commence. We spent the whole day in our new local patch to try and see some males fighting over a female or maybe a copulating couple. It was hot and dry so we didn't see many Adders, let alone some behaviour. But when the sun was setting and more clouds came in, so did the Adders. We started seeing some individuals moving into basking positions and when we saw two males close to each other we decided to wait a bit more. Just when we were about to go, the melanistic male moved towards the patterned individual and they started doing their ritual fighting. It lasted 5 whole seconds, but it was sure cool to see! The pictures are somehow less impressive, so I hope we get lucky again...

This weekend Laura and I explored a location hinted to us by a colleague of Laura, who said it is a great place to see the mass flowering of Spring Snowflake (Leucojum vernum). We could definitely confirm this and saw vast fields of these beautiful flowers along the stream. Moreover, the moors along the stream proved to be very interesting habitat for Adders (Vipera berus) and Viviparous Lizards (Zootoca vivipara). As it was quite warm on Saturday, most reptiles proved to be shy or basking cryptically. So we returned on Sunday for another smaller round with our friend Manfred. Weather conditions were much more favourable for finding reptiles and in a small isolated patch of heather we found a grand total of 10 Adders in this beautiful location. Most of them males in a great variety of patterns and colours, but we even found the first subadult female of the year.

A colleague of Laura is a great nature lover, and so are his wife and children. They were all keen on seeing some snakes in the wild so Laura and I took them to a place we know quite well. In the early morning sun it was still quite cold, so we knew the chances were high that the Adders (Vipera berus) would bask quite openly. This proved to be correct and we saw a total of 5 Adders. They were all black and all basking out in the open. We even saw an individual we already know for several years. Always nice to see our old acquaintance Mr. Gaga again. 

Although it is always a great pleasure revisiting our usual locations, there is still much to explore in the vicinity of Munich. Last year we already visited a beautiful bog south of Munich, but couldn't find any reptiles. This year we decided to try again during more favourable weather circumstances. After searching for a long, long time I found our first Adder (Vipera berus) of the year, after which Laura found a second one. Many Viviparous Lizards (Zootoca vivipara) were also enjoying the sun. Finally spring again!