A strange encounter (92 days to go…)
by Max Akroyd
March has arrived colder and greyer than a lot of January: a prickly customer for those of us wanting a bit of spring softness.
It’s a question of pressing on with trenching, digging, mulching – safe in the knowledge that there are gentler days ahead. The resolute monotony of these tasks was broken yesterday by the appearance – just an inch away from my spade’s edge – of this colourful character:
It’s a fire salamander, I think. Not uncommon, but not exactly expected in the bottom of a bean trench either! After a few moments of looking at each other like we were the strangest thing on earth, he went back into his hole. I resumed digging, unsure who was hosting who, but glad of his strange presence in my/his garden.
Wow, what a beauty! I bet he is a useful ally in the garden, too, hopefully munching on all those unwanted insects, maggots, grubs, etc.
Prodigious eater of slugs apparently. Every garden should have one!
Gorgeous creature.
To come across wildlife in the course of working puts the world to rights. They are getting on with their lives and we with ours, when our little worlds collide in peace it’s a magical moment. You can imagine when he got home to his wife what the conversation went like……”guess what I saw today love…one of those peasanty people…..you should have seen what he was wearing!”
I have a Gecko….he lives on my arm!!
Sue xxx
You don’t really have a gecko do you?
(Searches your blog…)
Oh I see! That’s very cool.