JON'S JOURNAL: Microscopy and dry ditches

I am very aware that I have been neglecting my nature diary recently. Without making excuses, this is mostly because I have had an awful lot on my plate in the last few weeks, and I have been neglecting all sorts of the peripheral things which I enjoy.

On Easter Saturday, Matthew and Emma came around with an Easter present for me; a USB microscope, with which we took this mildly grotesque picture of a dead cricket. This opens a lot of interesting new vistas for us, and I look forward to utilising it on the next OTT. Thank you my dears.

As regular readers will know, we have been following the misfortunes of the local frog population and their attempts at breeding this spring. Lots of frogspawn was laid in January, but it was all killed off by the severe frosts in mid February.

A considerably smaller amount was laid in March, and the tadpoles both at Kennerland and at Huddisford seemed to be doing well. But now look at this...

I don't usually pay much attention to the ramblings of politicians, but this time, when they are predicting a drought, I think that they might just have something. Most of the ditches which until the week before last contained tadpoles are now as dry as a bone.

Another generation of Woolsery's Rana temporaria has bitten the dust...