With temperatures reaching 22 degrees C (whatever that is - I still think in F's) it has been a truly glorious weekend. Apart from disappearing during the hottest part of the day when the sun was directly overhead, the newts have had a fine old time, swimming happily in and out of the algae around the mare's tail.

Normally I would have removed the algae but it does no harm and at this stage the tadpoles are also using it for food. If you look you can see some of them enjoying a yummy algae treat.

This is a female palmate newt, slightly lighter in colour than her mate. The male's back feet are also a sooty black colour, whereas her's are the same as her body.

It was also lovely to see this stately gentleman sunning himself in the old pond. With the new des res not far away, it's always good to see that the old pond has not been abandoned.


The tadpoles are also becoming more adventurous and are starting to swim around. They are mostly tail with little black heads at the front and are less than a centimetre long. To them the pond must seem like an ocean.