Scales and Patterns

Vipera berus
 
The humble Adder is the world's  most northerly distributed snake, even occurring inside the Arctic circle in parts of Scandinavia. Etienne spend his youth in the U.K. running around the woods and meadows in search of reptiles, occasionally in the latter years being rewarded with a good photographic opportunity like this one. This Adder was photographed at a heath in Berkshire - now surrounded by new housing developments. One can only hope that the Adders persist...