Iwas doing a tour of our garden, which is something I especially like to do, when I saw what I thought was the tail of a very pale, milky coloured lizard. I touched it gently with a twig and it didn’t move. It was next to a slate tile and a piece of rough bark. I shouted for Daddy to help and we delicately pulled it out and revealed a snake skin! It was so complete that I could even see the eye sockets. It was also inside-out, so when I looked through its mouth I could see the stronger brown colour and smoother scales. It was 94cm long and skinny, and I think it was from a grass snake because I’ve seen one in many parts of our garden: by the tap, on the grassy bank and poking out of a rock wall. The snake probably used the slate and bark to writhe around until its skin came off like a sock. They shed their skin to remove parasites and also because their body grows but their skin doesn’t. It would be uncomfortable to move around crammed into their old skin. Now the skin is safely stored away in my collection, and I can look at it any time I want. When I open the lid of the box, it is the first thing I see, that lovely discovery from my garden. Edison, eight Read today’s other YCD article, by Maria, 12: ‘Sneaky seals and surprisingly small puffins’ Young Country Diary is published every fourth Saturday of the month. The submission form is currently closed, but it will reopen on 1 September, when we will be asking for autumn pieces