I’ve been away for the weekend and the blanket weed has been thriving. It’s not taken over though, instead forming ethereal green columns and clumps in otherwise clear rainwater. Quite pretty and also providing food and hiding places.
Blanket weed universe
Particularly good hiding places for a large number of newt tadpoles that dart about when my endoscope or phone camera finds them: difficult to see anyway due to their being silt coloured. Not particularly good hiding places for tadpoles though. Yes, tadpoles… not tadpole.
It turns out that the enormous tadpole that never grew up (the Peter Pan) is in fact several large tadpoles. I just haven’t seen more than one at a time, until today. Training my phone on the surface, at first I thought I was looking at a big tadpole and a newt. Then I focused and saw two huge tadpoles together, while a third was munching away quite happily on the other side of the pond.
Exploring the rest of the pond closely, visible to quite a depth in the afternoon sun, I also saw a parent newt. I was too surprised to take a photo though before it slunk into the weed, refusing to reemerge and had to make do with brief sightings of the babies.
One thing that did stay still long enough for a close up though was this red damselfly, resting on the cane that supports the water lily. Amazing in the bright sunshine.
FROG BLOG 