Diary: April 2003

It was a beautifully warm day today - it's probably the first morning when it didn't feel at all chilly in the garden. The orange tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines) which I encountered there, my first of the year, obviously appreciated the early warmth too. I was left wishing that I had some garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) or ladies smock (Cardamine pratensis), two of the larval food plants of this species, to tempt it to hang around for a bit. Hopefully I'll get both of these species planted this year.

It always amazes me how fast tadpoles grow: they seem to do it in front of your eyes. Certainly, it's no exaggeration to say that you can see the difference from one day to the next. Probably the warm weather we have been having has accelerated their growth, but their scientific name, Rana temporaria, also gives us a clue as to why they have evolved to develop so quickly: frogs, in their natural environment, often spawn in temporary ponds, sometimes hardly more than puddles, and they must develop and mature quickly enough to leave them before they dry out.

This evening, from nowhere, there were suddenly around half a dozen pond skaters (Gerris lacustris) moving energetically over the surface of the pond. I must try to get a closer look to see if they are mature adults (with fully developed wings) or one of the earlier nymphal stages.