It's amazing, really. In our tamed and managed landscape, which long ago lost its bear, wolves and wild boar, and in spite of generations of human persecution, there is still a venomous snake. John Baker, provides a glimpse of the shy adder's year

In more enlightened times than those that saw off the similarly persecuted wolf, the adder is now legally protected from killing or injury (as are all our native reptiles). Those who have come to know adders regard them as timid creatures and a link with the untamed side of the natural world.

Dance of the adder
Among reptiles, the adder is a cool climate specialist - there are adders within the Arctic Circle. Reptiles don't generate their own body heat, so their body temperatures are constrained by the external environment. During the colder months of the year adders are inactive, hiding away, often communally, in carefully selected overwintering sites, or hibernacula. These hibernacula are usually located within sunny, south-facing slopes or embankments, on well-drained soils. Adders emerge from hibernacula to bask on sunny days, in March or April, in preparation for mating.

Shortly after emergence from their winter quarters, adders shed their skins, or slough, to reveal their colours at their best. Unusually for snakes, males and females have very different coloration.

Males have a black zigzag pattern on a grey background. Females have a lighter zigzag on a brown background.

The freshly sloughed males compete for mates - one male will attempt to push his rival to the ground, resulting in a dynamic intertwining - the dance of the adder.

Male rivalry and subsequent mating generally take place close to the hibernaculum. Only after mating will the snakes disperse, moving to areas where they will spend the summer. Although adders can travel several kilometres, most probably move less than half this distance from the hibernaculum. The summer quarters are often damper areas, where adders find their prey - primarily small mammals, especially voles, but also lizards and amphibians. The adder's venom is used in capturing prey.

As the weather cools in the early autumn, adders return to their hibernation sites to give birth (adders do not lay eggs) and bask on the remaining sunny days of the year, prior to disappearance for the winter.

Heathland stronghold
The adder still has a widespread distribution in Britain, with strongholds in South-west and North-east England, and parts of Scotland and Wales. However, there are concerns about adder status across large parts of its English range, particularly the Midlands and the South. Although adders are scarce across much of East Anglia, we are fortunate that good populations still exist along the coasts and heaths, notably the Brecks and Sandlings areas. The significance of Suffolk's adder populations is recognised in the county's Biodiversity Action Plan, which includes the adder as a 'character' species - one that gives Suffolk its natural distinctiveness. Key to the plan is locating adder sites, so that appropriate habitat management can be encouraged, to maintain existing sites and improve linkage between them.

The distribution of adders in Suffolk clearly shows a preference for the sandy soils of the Brecks and Sandlings areas.

(Map: Martin Sanford, Suffolk Biological Records Centre)

Tips on seeing adders
Adders are shy animals, and like all reptiles, can be difficult to find. The following pointers may help:
- Spring is one of the best times of year to see adders, as is September when they return to their hibernation sites.
- Sunny, or pleasantly warm days are best (air temperatures from 9-18ºC).
- At the very beginning and end of the active season they are most likely to be seen basking during the warmer part of the day. Mid-season it is best to look for them in the morning, and evening.

- Adders live in a variety of habitats, but the best places for them are open, or semi-open habitats, especially on south-facing slopes. Heathland is ideal habitat, but they can also be found in rough grassland, fens, scrubby areas, sand dunes, the roughs of golf courses, along forestry rides and in clear-felled areas and on railway embankments and sea walls.

How you can help adders
Email your sightings of adders to Suffolk's 'herp' recorder, Rosie Norton rosie@brundish.demon.co.uk. If possible, provide an accurate grid reference and date with your record. The location of hibernacula is particularly important. These may indicate several snakes basking in one place in early spring or the autumn.

Avoid disturbing basking adders. Adders are sensitive to disturbance so observe them from a distance, using binoculars if you have them

If you would like to manage land to benefit adders, or other reptiles, contact or the Suffolk Wildlife Trust for further information at wildline@suffolkwildlifetrust.org

The Suffolk Amphibian and Reptile Group is starting a review and survey of adder sites this year. If you know of adder populations, or want to help with adder surveys, contact the group though Suffolk Wildlife Trust at wildline@suffolkwildlifetrust.org