This is very off-topic, and I'm sorry, but while
butterfly-watching on Saturday (on topic?) I nearly trod on this huge snake, over a metre long, and I can't find any way of identifying it. It doesn't fit the illustrations in the general books I have here. Since you're my natural history community, I wondered if anyone among you knew what it was, or where to start (which group of snakes). It doesn't look like a grass snake.
It was near water in the Rhône Valley of Switzerland.
To make the post a bit more butterfly (moth) related, I also nearly trod on this 'snake'. No prizes for saying what this is!
Guy