www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

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

I've since found the French snake equivalent of UK Butterflies so I've made a post there:

http://serpentsdefrance.free.fr/forum/v ... ?f=1&t=826

Apologies again for an irrelevant question!

Guy

OK.. haven't looked at the site but my old book seems to suggest an Aesculapian snake... what conclusion did you come to?

Well done, Paul - that was what the French group said too! A couleuvre d'esculape, to use their exact words.

Guy

That's the first time I've ever seen Pine Prosessionary Moths...fascinating!

Martin.