A Mass of Slow Worms

We've left a slate lying on the long grass in our back garden all summer as a home for....

....slow worms.  Usually there are two or three under it but when we pulled back the slate yesterday we were amazed at the number of slow worms we found - and that a toad seemed quite at home with them.  It's difficult to see how many there are in the picture, but it's at least twelve.

We like to encourage slow worms, which aren't a snake but a type of lizard, as they prey on slugs, worms, snails, insects and spiders.  Despite the fact that we have two cats, which are said to be their main predators, we've never seen them kill a slow worm, even in the days before they became fat and lazy.