Hot weather favours creatures of the night

You wouldn't think that the wildlife would enjoy this heat. Some species do not seem to enjoy it. The air is very quiet and there doesn't seem to be any birds around. Some species are taking the opportunity to dart about without having to worry about being eaten but the majority of creatures are just biding their time in the undergrowth. Waiting, that is, for the fall of darkness. This week I had a look at what was emerging from a nearby garden at dusk after a very hot day.

This is a video of a moth called The Gothic or Naenia typica (thanks to users JRsbugs and Adam Cheeseman at Wild About Britain for the ID). You may wonder what it is doing. This behaviour isn't usually observed by us as it normally happens faster than we can see. Here slowed down you can see the moth warming its muscles and preparing to fly. Since moths are cold blooded many require a warming up period before night time flights.

Ever wondered how pond animals got into the pond in the first place? Many people do not realise that a large number of the things in their ponds go walkies at night. This is how an empty pond becomes colonised in months. It is simply discovered by creatures looking for a nice place to live. This photo here shows a Great Ramshorn pond snail or Planorbarius corneus going for a wander.

Taking advantage of those taking advantage were nocturnal predators like this Common Frog or Rana temporaria. Whilst pond creatures are slowly wandering and moths are doing warm up exercises why not nip out for a bite to eat? This frog certainly enjoys a good takeaway.