Grass snake

Oh, interesting.

So you've got Natrix natrix, which is your regular grass snake, which is found sort of in Eastern and Northern Europe.

Then you've got Natrix helvetica, which is the barred grass snake, which is the one we get in the UK.

And you also get it in places like France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands.

Well, it would be a really interesting genus to talk to because Natrix was only really split quite recently.

I think the Iberian grassneck was only described in 2016, so 10 years ago.

And Natrix helvetica, the one we get in the UK, was only split from Natrix natrix in 2019.

Honestly, though, that doesn't surprise me.

I still remember an earlier conversation with a regular who said that at present, water voles were not at the wetlands, but work was continuing on the River Lee, and once there, it was only a small step for them r- to return here.

As I watched, I saw a grass snake swimming out into the lake with its head up.

It moved gracefully, wriggling along the surface and almost floating in the reed bed, possibly getting ready to feed on frogs as there was a distinct bulge in its body, which was only a few centimeters from its mouth.

After seeing the grass snake, I settled down again and started watching for damselflies and dragonflies.

After a few moments, I spotted a classic damselfly, the banded demoiselle, which is a good sign of clean water.

Banded demoiselles are roughly 42 to 45 mil long with a wingspan of 60 to 65 millimeters.