The Snakes on Öby Hill

Snakes that wake up in the spring

“Beware of snakes.” Many people have probably been taken aback by the rather unusual road sign at Öby Hill, next to the bird sanctuary Kvismaren. Most people have seen signs warning of dogs. Likewise, road signs urging drivers to keep an eye out for moose and other wildlife. But snakes?

Anyone who imagines huge cobras suddenly attacking unsuspecting motorists can rest easy. The snakes at Öby Kulle are anything but aggressive. Moreover, most of them aren’t out slithering around on public roads. Nor do they seem to pay much attention to all the visitors eagerly searching for them. They’re too busy trying to wake up.

Snakes hibernate in the hollows of Öby Hill

Unlike us humans, snakes are cold-blooded. Or, to put it more dramatically: “cold-blooded.” Since they don’t generate their own heat, they depend on the temperature of their surroundings. During the cold winter, our Swedish snakes hibernate underground. When spring arrives, they slowly wake up and seek out warm places. Places where they can warm themselves, quite simply.

Öby Hill is one such place. Hundreds of snakes spend the winter in the hill’s hollows and tunnels. When spring arrives, they make their way out onto the slope, where they let the sun slowly warm their cold bodies. Often together. If you’ve ever wondered where the term “snake pit” comes from, here’s your answer. To warm up faster, snakes like to coil themselves together—often into massive tangles that make even the most intractable headphone knot seem like a simple knot.

An exciting nature experience in Örebro

The snakes on Öby Hill include both grass snakes and venomous vipers. This might make some people hesitate to visit. No need to worry. In the spring , the snakes on Öby Hill are about as lively and interested in their surroundings as sleepy teenagers in the morning. Visitors who show respect and stick to the marked trails therefore have nothing to fear. (Another parallel to life as a parent of a teenager, by the way.) Under the warming spring sun, they can calmly continue to experience one of the Örebro region’s most distinctive natural phenomena.

Find us!

• Where? Öby kulle, Norrbyås 445, Örebro. View the location on Google Maps.
• When? When the spring sun comes out, usually in April.