Tadpole to toad

So much is happening in nature at the moment - late summer is a hectic time. For some it is now time to leave the pond and see the world...

Change can happen overnight...

...and it does, at times. This little larva, a future Camberwell Beauty - or Mourning Cloak - was resting in our garden one day, climbing up a flower stem the next, and when I went outside to have a look at it the following morning I found a pupa...some would say it's only biology, but I think it is one of life's little miracles.

Butterfly, flutter by

Butterflies are a little bit mysterious, I've always thought. I was reminded of it this week end when I saw these ones. They flutter by and always seem to be in such a hurry, yet so relaxed about it. They seem to know something you and I don't. And for me personally, they have always brought news in dreams. News, or maybe I should say guidance. Maybe one day I will write more about that.

Signs of summer

These little creatures only appear during the summer...it would seem that they are all the summer we get this year. Watching a toddler watching a dragonfly for the first time was a pleasure in itself. His amazement and joy were written all over his face. I really do hope I can protect him from losing interest in the simple things -it seems to be such a  prevalent phenomenon in children these days.

Toad vs frog

Why is it that when someone says toad most people think lazy, slow and ugly, but when someone says frog most people think of words quick, sleek, cute and quite possibly also prince?  

New life everywhere

I have been observing today. Mainly the woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) family in our forest. Imagine having 5-7 little ones at once...HUNGRY little ones...

I am considering climbing up and having a look at the nest. Once the little ones are out, of course...