Keen photographer Roger Mason snapped the grass snake after noticing motion by the sting of a lake at a county nature reserve in Ripple, close to Upton-upon-Severn in Worcestershire.
Mr Mason was initially seeking to seize photos of dragonflies on the lakes earlier than he noticed the snake.
He mentioned: “I used to be down on the Ripple Lakes yesterday which is now a little bit of a nature reserve after the previous quarrying workings there.
“There are two massive lakes there now both sides of the M50 motorway. As I used to be wandering about I seen motion within the water simply by the sting of the lake.
“Fortunately I already had my digicam prepared and was in a position to get just a few pictures of the grass snake earlier than it swam off into the reeds.”
Grass snakes are innocent to people and may typically be present in wetland habitats.
They can reside between 15-25 years and may generally be noticed between April and October within the county.
The species is protected within the UK below the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
