Snakes More Active During Bабье Leto

Vipers are becoming active in the autumnal period: where you might unexpectedly encounter a snake.

Consensus

Snake activity increases during the warm autumn period called 'bабье лето'.
Snakes emerge from shelters on warm days to bask in the sun.
The risk of encountering snakes persists until stable cold weather arrives.
Snakes do not attack humans unless they feel threatened.
Natural landscapes such as forest clearings, overgrown logging sites, peat bogs, and sunny slopes with stones and stumps are common habitats for snakes.
Abandoned lands near forests, piles of leaves, firewood, and debris serve as shelters for snakes on suburban plots.
In the Moscow region, garter snakes are most commonly found in western, northwestern, and northeastern districts.
The Moscow region's snake activity may extend beyond typical autumn due to prolonged warm weather.

In the Moscow region, autumn gnats (osennye zhiigalki) may become active in early autumn and can bite humans with their piercing proboscis, though they are hard to distinguish from common houseflies. — vm
The risk of snake encounters remains until the onset of stable cold weather, with snakes entering hibernation in late October to early November in the central region of Russia. — riamo