Chilled newt in the grass

Crook, County Durham On dry land palmate newts are ungainly but in the pond they become water dragons, weaving about with an undulating wriggle of the tail

In the garden in spring the hour after sunset is sometimes the best. As the afterglow fades in the western sky the sounds of the day die away and even the rooftop blackbird, whose song echoes around the houses in late afternoon, falls silent. Then the creatures of the night begin to appear.

We were hoping we might see the hedgehog that left droppings on the path the night before but the visitor this time was a palmate newt, making laborious progress on its short legs through the long grass.