The weather was perfect—sunny, calm, and cool—an ideal day to spot these fascinating legless lizards warming up under our refugia (black mats made of roofing felt that trap the sun’s heat). 🌡️🖤

We had an incredible turnout of 11 participants, including members of Friends of Grove Farm, and were lucky to have John from LARG, an ecologist and amphibian & reptile expert, share his knowledge about these amazing creatures. 🧑‍🔬✨

🪱 Here’s what we discovered:

👉 9 adults and 3 juveniles (born last September!)

👉 Slow worms hibernate through winter and become active as spring warms up.

👉 Unlike many reptiles, slow worms give birth to live young, helping them thrive in colder climates!

With the mating season just around the corner, we’re excited to continue our surveys and monitor these incredible creatures. If you’d like to join our slow worm surveying team, we’d love your help! Volunteering involves visiting the mats once a month (or more often if we have extra hands) until October. No experience is needed—we’ll provide full training! 🙌

📧 Email us at friendsofgrovefarm@gmail.com to get involved!

We’re also hoping to organise another LARG session later this year— follow us on eventbrite to hear about it first! 💬