More Toads And Frogs

 

Some more froggy toady photos from March when they were out spawning. I really love their little faces. The last 2 needed help getting to the pond, so I offered them a free lift!!

Mushrooms

 

I found these mushrooms deep in the forest. I am not entirely sure what they are, best I could come up with was Honey Fungus

Noble Fir Cones

 

These are cones from the Noble Fir Tree (Abies procera). 

Graceful

 

I caught this lad at the right time! What a graceful wing flap this male is making.

It's Huge!

 

This is a Birch Polymore (Fomitopsis betulina) growing on a tree. It was huge! 

A Butterfly And A Beetle

 

A Common Blue Butterfly (Polyommatus icarus) and a Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva) are on this Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare). The insects love these Daisies.

Common Periwinkle (Whelk)

 

This is a Common Periwinkle or Whelk. They are basically sea snails! I took this photo through the water. Sadly in parts of the UK they are eaten, not by me though!

Thanks to David for spotting my typo/bad spelling!

Water Avens

 

This is a Water Avens (Geum rivale). It is lovely.

Foxgloves

 

A few different Foxgloves (Digitalis). They are fairly common here in Scotland and the insects love them.

Definitely A Scottish Bee

 This is a bee on a Thistle. The Thistle is our national flower here in Scotland.

What A View

 

Breathtaking!

Almost Yin Yang

 

Following on from yesterday's post, these 2 Common House Flies (Musca domestica) are almost making the Yin Yang symbol. They are on an Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) which is a larger form of the Daisy. There is a little insect at the bottom left trying to get in on the act!

Benzene Ring

 

These are 3 little moths (Micropterix calthella) on a Buttercup. I studied a few years of Chemistry in my late teens and for some reason when I took this and looked at the moths, they reminded me of how I would draw a Benzene Ring. If you know about chemistry you'll know what I am talking about. Otherwise, enjoy these little fellows on the yellow flower!

He Hides Well

 

I thought this Soldier Beetle was hiding quite well on this Nettle!

Make A Wish

 

As children in Scotland we are told if we blow the dandelion in this state and make a wish, it will come true. We are basically pollinating it! What would your wish be?

A Cloud And The Sun

 

The Sun is hiding behind this cloud. I really liked the effect it created.

Happy Customer

 

One happy customer!

Blue Tit

 

This is a blue tit at the feeding post. The feeding post is a tree stump. Me and a few of the other walkers put seeds for the birds and squirrels on it. Great place of seeing all the little song birds and great place for photos.

Reflection On The Pond

 

This is a reflection of the Life Buoy at one of the ponds near the pond I visit. I really like reflection photos.

He Caught Me Looking

 

This male mallard caught me looking at him! I took a photo then he got back to doing what he was doing.

My Daughter And The Caterpillar

 

A few weeks ago I was picking my daughter up from school and she said she had a surprise for me in her lunch bag. I opened it and saw this little caterpillar. She said she had "saved it" and she had made a little bed for it. I thought this was very cute but told her that she shouldn't handle caterpillars as some can cause us rashes and reactions. She said she didn't and used the leaves. When I got home from school, I put it in my garden. From what I can tell it is a moth caterpillar but not sure which sort.

Saving A Toad

 

During spawning season, a few weeks ago, I was up at the pond most days. I went for a walk behind the pond and found this little fellow on the path in the sun. So I decided to take him over to the pond. He enjoyed the walk on my hand and I put him into the water. He was happy to be there. 

Centipede

 

My daughter came running into the living room screaming telling me there was a monster in the bathroom! I went to look, turned out it was a little centipede. Isn't it a little cutie. I lifted it up on a little bit of cardboard and put it outside in the gaden.

Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frog (Amazon Milk Frog)

 

This is a Mission Golden-Eyed Tree Frog or Amazon Milk Frog (Trachycephalus resinifictrix). It is not native to Scotland! It lives at a place called Amazonia which isn't far from Glasgow. We go there a lot and they have talks about the different animals that live there.

I Like This Tree

 

I see this tree on my walks and I like to put seeds at the bottom of it and the little birds always come. They are a joy to watch. I like this tree because of the branches and the patterns and texture of it. Is it a Yew Tree? I am a novice when it comes to trees and I know some of you are experts....looking at you Tom and David!

Random Crap

 

The random crap people leave at ponds! This stool was left at the pond a few years ago and someone had put it on the wooden post! People leave the most random things in nature! I would guess someone used it to sit on while fishing perhaps? 

Hitchhiker

 

We found this little hitchhiker on my partner's white hat! It is a little midge. Midges are very common in Scotland.

Walking Along

 

I have always been captivated by Ladybirds and get excited when I see them. This one was walking along the branch. 

A Deer In The Woods

 

I spotted this deer in the woods. I always enjoy seeing deer and where I live there are plenty THOUGH they are in decline, like most creatures in this world.

A Snail And A Raspberry...

 

Can you make an interesting story from this...A snail and a raspberry? I really liked the pattern on this snail. It had fallen asleep on the back of this raspberry leaf. The raspberries weren't quite ready yet. 

The Flies Are Guarding The Beetle

 

It looks like these 2 flies are guarding the Soldier Beetle! Dandelions are wonderful flowers, insects love them and I do not consider them to be weeds unlike most people! They grown in my garden and I let them be, though I do get photos of the bees on them!!

Barn Swallows

 

These are a few Barn Swallows. They are lovely little birds.

Crocodile Rock

 

Not the Elton John song! This structure is know as Crocodile Rock. It is on a little island called Millport which isn't too far from Glasgow. We visit Millport a lot and it is great for wildlife and has a wonderful beach too. Here is a link to more information on it: Crocodile Rock.

Balancing Act

 

This little weevil was balancing on the leaf! He is an expert!

Holding Bees

 

These photos are all a few years old. These are 3 bees that I helped with sugar solution during the summer when they ran out of puff! Every summer I carry sugar solution when I am out and if I see a bee struggling I put some of the solution on my hand and pick the bee up and it usually takes it and flies off. The last one, I place it on a flower. If there are flowers about I normally put them on the flowers. Holding a bee isn't a scary thing. It can be quite tickly at first though and takes a minute to get used to. In all my years of helping them I have never been stung by a bee. 

Sparkling Water

 

Not quite fizzy drinking water. I saw this last week and I just loved how the sun was shining on the pond.

They Are Back

 

The frogs and toads are back for spawning at the pond! I was so very happy to see them! These 3 photos are of the same toad. I sat on the ground and was talking to him! I really wanted to get a close-up of his eyes. After I got my photos he hopped off into the long grass. Ever since I was a kid, I have been obsessed with frogs and toads, I think they are amazing and wonderful.