Though I do sneak a peek under any (not many) refugia I see on the ground, even in the dead of winter, when cold-blooded creatures might be expected to be seeking shelter, I usually find only ants and woodlice. So, it was with little in the way of expectations that I lifted the corner of a mat in a local churchyard last week, only to be shocked, in a wonderful way, by the presence of this Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis).