Oh yes, totally in agreement there....they are tropical and vicious.
stef

Ah, that looks like a cutie! I saw one grass snake here last Sumner, that's all. They like lots of thick vegetation, especially next to ponds. They can be seen swimming across them, which they do well.

I see garter sakes a lot sunning themselves along hiking trails but they slink off into the forest when you walk by - harmless.

I saw an adder once in a park near London.

So did I.

I was around 3 years old. It was in Bournemouth. My parents rented an upstairs 'flat' in an old house . There were outside stairs. Under those stairs was a couple of sandbags & I was allowed to play with that sand with my bucket and spade.
I was playing down in the garden just like this and this snake slithered from the garden and into the sandbag area under the stairs. It was FAT and LONG.

My parents tried to say I saw nothing, but I knew what I saw and years later I identified it as an adder.

I remember the lilac tree too and that Dad found potatoes growing in the garden among so many other memories.

Sharp memory have I . I can still feel that day.