Creaturekind

A focust! I think I should rename my blog to creaturepuns instead of creaturekind. I mean finding a bug is amazing but finding an excellent pun is nearly as good! Back to the subject at hand, grasshoppers! These creatures have been very elusive to my eye the last few years. I'm not sure if that's because I'm no longer spending as much time running in fields and woodlands as I was when I was little. Or if it's sadly because of the insect decline due to the usual dangers like habitat loss, urbanisation and increased farming. Most likely a bit of both even though studies have shown that insects are in decline but I'm not so sure if the grasshopper is per say.  But I've now increased my luck of finding them by practising (beginner) macro photography. I still need to play around a lot more with my camera, invest in a good lens as I'm just using extension tubes at the moment so any advice is very welcome! The camera I use is Sony Alpha a6300 and the lens I current

Just wanted to write a short post to let everyone know what has enlightened my quarantine lately. I can watch them forever, watch their tiny little wings buzz them around with a surprisingly high accuracy trying to find a little nest to get comfortable in. Which is not an easy task I've concluded after my small little garden adventure. One burrow after another is usually turned down, seeming never to be quite the right fit. All the better for spectators like me trying to make out the beautiful patterns that tells them apart. Which is the question, to bee or not to bee? I'm all about those bumbles at the moment. Although I must admit I've found a good mimicker whilst doing some learning, the most adorable bee-fly. Just google it, do it now. See what I mean? One of my missions is to capture these on camera one day!  But today I'm not going to let them take the sunshine from the humble bumbles. However instead of me babbling on I wanted to share some videos that have reall

In this post I'm going to bring something up that has been on my mind for a while now. For you who live in the UK you will most likely know that seeing a red squirrel is rare however the grey is everywhere. How come it ended up like this?  And what does red squirrel conservation mean for the grey squirrels? To answer the first question we have to look back in time a bit. The UK before 1870 only had one species of squirrels which was the little red one with super cute ear tufts and fuzzy long tails. These speedy little fluffs enjoyed their lives chewing their favourite pine seeds in their very much preferred  coniferous  forests. If the autumn was bountiful they would prepare for winter by gaining some love handles in case the supply of stored fungi, green acorns and hazelnuts grew spares during the chillier time. Also for the females who might later have to eat for two, three or maybe four little ones. Accordingly to the UK Woodland Trust  there were about 3.5 millions

Because he's my newt. Oh dear puns never get old, or so I think. I also think because t hese fellows are minute therefore they are also very cute! (I will get a better picture one day!) The UK have three native species of newts, great crested, smooth and palmate. All part of the salamander family. Which is huge, more than 500 species! Ranging from sizes of 2.7 cm, the Pygmy salamander, to the 1.8 m Chinese Giant salamander. Back to the newts however they stay in between 9 cm to 17 cm, big enough for the little UK and I believe you can guess which one of the three is the biggest? Yes the great crested newt indeed.  What I didn't know is that newts spend must of their time on land, I've only seen them in water. Although on land they're mainly active during the night which might be why I haven't seen them, another big factor might also be that I haven't looked for them there... All three species are under protection in the UK, the great crested fully prot

Or is it a toad? Well me for one have been unsure. So I decided to dwell into it a bit. Looking through photos on my laptop I found two types of these four legged creatures. These were taken in the UK, specifically Derbyshire. One I thought was a toad and another I also thought was a toad. However, when investigating this I was surprised to find that the UK only has two types of frogs and two types of toads. I guess it at least makes the identification process a lot easier. Even easier as statically speaking you would most likely see only two of them. I can confirm this myself as those are the only ones I've stumbled upon.  So what do you think, frog or toad? Picture 1 Picture 2 Seeing these next to each other have made me realise that there is quite the difference between them. Picture 1  is the Common Frog   and picture 2  is the Common Toad, well done you if you got it right! I must also tell you the scientific name for the common toad as it is adorab

By snail mail!  You guessed it, today's post is going to be about snails. Not just any snail but the quite common brown lipped snail. Look at this little beauty I found this summer. Their scientific name is  Cepaea Nemoralis and their distinctive  feature is the darker coloured line on the front of the shell, the one that runs opposite to the others on this particular individual. The rest of the shell can actually be many different colours, this one is just one of the variations.  Apparently scientists have looked in to why the shells are so different but except from giving camouflage  in different areas there's no telling why they vary so much. Their favourite habitats are woodlands, gardens and as you can see grasslands. This particular one I found in an old mining area near my house which has been turned in to a small nature reserve.  Also, as you know, on rainy days they like to come out of their protective shell and move about. Like this one, a proper climbe