@themessyecologist.bsky.social just had to say that I simply agree and love your ‘leave nature alone’ philosophy. As a herpetologist, specific populations of Adders which I have been studying for the past 10 years are only good in numbers due to their untidy, wonderful scrub habitat being unmanaged.

My careful capture-study-release of Adders include the undertaking of various body/head scale counts on adults to identify specific population individuals during movement. Fortunate to be experienced in studying/handling venomous snakes in the field (Europe, India) - the only reason why I do this.

Various male Adders from one of my study populations, this particular one is in Suffolk.

The genus Vipera, of which the Adder belongs to, is unique among the viper family as its members exhibit marked sexual dimorphism in sexes. The Adder (male, left/female, right).