CELEBRATED AND FEARED IN EQUAL measure, there is something both undeniably thrilling and a tiny bit scary about an encounter with our only venomous snake. Shy and retiring by nature, yet rich in folklore, the adder is hardly deserving of a villainous reputation, and due to the usual suspects of habitat loss and agricultural intensification has declined across large swathes of the British countryside.
The adder’s name is believed to originate from a mispronunciation of the Old English word of nædre, meaning serpent. And despite struggling in modern Britain, the snake’s tolerance of low temperatures has nevertheless