The Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) is a hidden gem and is not a garden beauty that you will always see.

On a crisp winters morning I was pruning apple trees with my mate Tom, when we decided that we needed to escape the wind that was blowing right across the garden we were working in. I’m not one who usually feels the cold but on this day, the wind was cutting right through me. To give us a break from the wind for a few minutes, we decided to go and fix an issue we had with a water butt on a summer house in the garden.

The summer house is in a large garden a long way from any houses and sits right next to a large pond. It is a perfect haven for the local wildlife, especially for newts.

We had to move few logs and instead of finding spiders, woodlice or any other creepy crawly, Tom found this little fella instead…..

 It is the largest of all our newts but unfortunately this little beauty has had it rough in the last few years and is fully protected. So not to disturb it any further, we carefully put it back where we found it making sure it was well and truly hidden from any predators. Unfortunately there are a few creatures out there that would make a tasty meal out of this little gem.

“We have a responsibility toward the other life-forms of our planet whose continued existence is threatened by the thoughtless behaviour of our own human species. . . . Environmental responsibility – for if there is no God, then, obviously, it is up to us to put things right.” – Jane Goodall 

More about these wonderful creatures can be found here –

http://www.wildaboutgardens.org.uk/wildlife/amphibians/newts.aspx

As with all wildlife endangered or not, every living creature in our gardens should be treated with the respect they all deserve.

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