Tadpoles and bugs

The frog spawn has hatched - on 7th April to be precise. The days have been so unseasonably warm lately, but next week colder weather is forecast - I do hope the tadpoles do not suffer - perhaps by then they will have moved deeper into the pond. At the moment they still form one solid writhing mass, within the remains of the spawn on the surface of the pond. They will gain nourishment from this for a little while before moving onto solid food - some people supplement their diet with cat food and cat biscuits, I have heard.

Another thing I have learnt is that some frogs apparently die at spawning time after becoming entangled with other enthusiastic frogs!!! Mating is clearly a dangerous game for a frog!!

Visiting a garden open to the public this weekend I came across this rather super example of a home for hibernating bugs of all sorts. So easy to do - all one needs is a pile of pallets, and then the gaps can be filled with various materials - old broken crocks, straw, twigs and logs, corrugated cardboard - materials limited only by the imagination.
In my own garden I have a "stumpery," a motley collection of twigs, branches and logs that may look untidy to some but provides a wonderful haven for wildlife.

And I could not resist a picture of this! Isn't it so cute?!