A group of enthusiasts have got together to build new homes for residents in Ipswich – but in this case the residents in question happen to be slow worms.
In a project led by Ipswich Borough Council's Wildlife & Education Rangers, local families created a special habitat on Bramford Lane recreation ground. The population of slow worms (a legless lizard, not a snake) have been boosted lately by new arrivals moved from a development site.
Slow worms hibernate in the winter and special hibernacula have been constructed from logs and rubble to complement existing habitat on the site.
Ipswich Borough Council Rangers at the Bramford Road slow worm event
Meanwhile, Ranger Matt Berry appealed to householders to help conserve slow worms and other reptiles by attracting them to their own gardens. Here are his tips:
- Leave areas of your garden to grow wild but also retain some shorter areas of vegetation to allow basking.
- Construct log piles in sunny spots and reduce the height of shading trees, hedges or fences.
- Ensure there is free entry at ground level around the edge of the garden. Create rockeries, or banks with plenty of crevices, in south-facing areas close to denser vegetation.
- Maintain a grass cuttings heap or compost heap. Dig a pond to encourage amphibians, which are an important prey source for grass snakes, and leave some rough areas nearby to allow snakes to approach.
- Leaving out wooden boards, roofing felt or corrugated iron sheets will help you find out if reptiles are using the garden, as they will be used for basking on or taking refuge underneath.
For further information or advice about reptiles please contact Ipswich Borough Council's Ranger service, tel: 01473 433993.