I am really please you have great crested newts in your pond. Please do remember that they are a protected species so take great care of them. The link below is quite useful to be aware of
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/great-crested-newts-protection-surveys-and-licences
I hope your pair do breed and you get lots of babies!
Lesley
Thank you Lesley, Iām aware of the rules about having great crested newts 
I knew they were in the area because they were part of the reason a huge housing estate wasnāt built in our village 
and have been hoping to attract some to our pond for a while 
My next mission will be to attract the woodpeckers I can hear to nest here 
Donna x
Our garden toad has come back again this year, and has been making use of the toad tent provided for shelter
Heās also been for a dip in our mini wildlife pond
And must have met a lady friend at some point because weāve got two lots of toad spawn in there now (first lot are the mini comma size, one in the middle of this pic, the new lot are just lines of mini black dots)
And the other day I saw one of last yearās toadlets still in the garden, looking a little bit like ET 
Gotta love a toad / toadlet
Itās great the amphibians are all doing so well this year! Iāve had 4 mating pairs of toads this year, which is double the number I would normally expect. It looks like the UK must be bucking the global trend, which is brilliant!
Sam x
Hi,
Donna @RedDragonDesigns,
We have been lucky enough to have hedgehogs for the last 4 years or so.
I put down ordinary meaty (not fishy) cat food on my patio and along they come after dark.
Last year I got in the habit of putting it out at the same time each night (about 7pm after clearing away dinner.)
One night I was late putting it out and was rushing aboutā¦
I went charging out the back door with bowl of food and wasnāt there a big old fella sitting there waiting!!
He was almost tapping his foot with impatience!!
Didnāt half make me jump!!
I have seen two together also, they make an awful racket if they come across each other.
One night I heard a weird noise coming from inside one of my shrubs it seemedā¦
It sounded like, and Iām sorry, but I canāt think of a more accurate description; someone blowing up an air bed with a foot pumpā¦!
Its what they do when they āmeetā each other apparently according to a website I looked it up onā¦
Strange little creatures, I love 'em 
Word of caution though; donāt leave a rubbish bag outside on the patio as I did for the next trip to dustbinā¦
I picked it up next day to take to bin and it ārustledā,
Sure enough, little hedgepoo, (as I call them), was inside having a root aroundā¦thank god I noticedā¦
Also, on a hot summer night when the bedroom window is open, I can sometimes hear the sound of the china bowl making a chinking noise against the concrete when they are trying to lick the bowl clean; (could be a cat I suppose but they donāt generally tip it up), and also when itās late, a few slugs also find their way in to the bowl as a kind of incidental garnish I like to thinkā¦lol
Hopefully they will reappear again soon bless 'emā¦
Liz
So lovely that the hedgehogs are out of hibernation.
This is Alfred, a very small hedgehog from last Autumn, who returned this week.
Much smaller than the regular fatties 
Hello again, Alfred! I think he has been on this thread before. Such a cute little tiggypig 
Sam x
I think the advent of wheelie bins has been a serious problem for hedgehogs. Back when we used to put the bags out on the pavement I often used to see them rummaging about. Not very hygenic, but it just goes to showā¦
Sam x
Yes, he has!
Last Autumn I was worried about him surviving hibernation because he was so little, but he was too elusive to catch.
So Iām especially pleased to see him back again, aswell as Tiggy, who is looking particularly bulky and maybe pregnant!
So the possibility of hogletsā¦ Thatās very exciting!!!
Sam x
Baby hedgehogs! Really exciting! 
Greetings to Alfred & Tiggy!
Iāve got only dandelions! The Loins of the garden! I think they look beautiful, maybe I should paint one? Question is, if anybody would like to buy a painting of a dandelion? 
I think people might buy a dandelion painting. Especially if it had some of the āclockā seedheads. It might make an amusing gift for a luckless gardener or somebody who keeps rabbits.
Sam x
