Worcester is a great city for slow-worms – here's why

Despite the name, though, they are neither worms nor snakes. They are legless lizards and one of the three native species of lizard that we have in the UK.

Urban areas are important for many wildlife species and slow-worms are no exception. They are regularly found in gardens and allotments across the city (and the county) and are an important reminder of how people and wildlife can live together in some of our most crowded spaces.

Worcestershire Wildlife Trust’s Wilder Worcester project hopes to raise awareness of the wildlife around us and encourage people to take care of the nature on their doorstep and help it to thrive. 

Slow-worm. Picture: Jim Higgin

Worcester might be a slow-worm hotspot but these creatures still need our help in creating the perfect habitat for them.

Being reptiles, they need places to hide from predators (including the garden cat) and being cold-blooded they also need places to warm up.

They’ll often seek out compost heaps, flat rocks and wood piles and they feed on a range of invertebrates so they like long grass and scrub to hunt in.

In fact, there are many actions you can take to help slow-worms and what is good for them is also good for other wildlife. Hedgehogs, for example, have a similar diet and will thrive in related habitats.

Here’s our top three tips for helping slow-worms where you live:

Cultivating a wildlife garden. Picture: Paul Harris

1 Take part in no mow May (and beyond) and leave a patch of lawn to grow wild

This is a brilliant way of attracting wildlife to the garden and slow-worms will use the long grass to hunt in. You could even sow some wildflower seeds in it to create a mini meadow.

Picture: Lauren Heather

2 Start to compost in your garden

Composting will not only help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill but will create a great habitat for a range of minibeasts that live in the decaying matter.

Compost heaps are great places for slow-worms to warm up and also provide lots of juicy morsels for these beautiful reptiles to dine on.

Picture: Gary Farmer

3 Create a log pile

This is a fantastic place for minibeasts and provides shelter for a whole range of animals. Rotting wood is one of the best things you can provide; think of all those nooks and crannies for hiding in.

It might not seem a lot but just a few things can make all the difference to our wildlife. So why not give nature a helping hand by trying these out and be part of a Wilder Worcestershire.

 

Check out worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/wilder-worcester for more information and to sign up to the project for a range of advice and support.

We’re trying to plot the populations of Worcestershire’s slow-worms so if you do spot one, we’d love to know about it. Just take a photo and let us know at worcswildlifetrust.co.uk/wildlife-sightings