Adder, but red patches on head?

[frexpt]

Last week, I disturbed a snake that looked very much like this basking in our field, by running over it with my ride on mower.  I stopped to make sure it was okay and I could see that I had nicked its back with the blades.  However, what caught my eye were two red patches on the head, one behind each eye.  I am sure that these were not injuries, but when I went back to have a closer look at it, it had crawled away.

I know that snakes can vary in appearance, but can anyone confirm that this was an adder?

[Boscoe]

If it crawled away it wasn't a snake... Sorry couldn't resist :)

[frexpt]

I should think so too! 

As I didn't see it leave, it could have slithered, been taken by a buzzard or beamed up by Scotty!

[pachapapa]

In deux-sèvres the chances of seeing a [IMG]http://www.herpfrance.com/Resources-folder/snakes/Vipera_berus__Haslivalley__.jpg[/IMG] is remote, being outside its geographical habitat.

[IMG]http://www.herpfrance.com/Resources-folder/other/maps/aspis.gif[/IMG]

more likely a [IMG]http://www.herpfrance.com/Resources-folder/snakes/aspis3-konrad.jpg[/IMG]

[Grumpy]

Just done some research into this.

Whilst male adders tend to be of a greyish colour, females can take on a more pronounced brown.  Close up pictures of adder heads do show that there can be a "streak" of colour behind the eye.  I guess that this means that it is possible to at least find a reddish brown colouration where you describe and I would speculate that if this was a young individual the colour might be brighter again.

Grumpy