A newt came to my water butt

And after the sea monster....

I found this tiny newt, barely 4 cm. long, when I dipped in my watering can. It must have climbed the steep side of the plastic container (or could it have fallen from a bird's beak?) I don't have a garden pond so I put it in a bucket while I asked a friend who does if she would like to have it. No thanks, she said, it would grow big and eat her tadpoles. Later I found it had escaped from the bucket and I imagine it will return to wherever it came from. There are plenty of damp ditches and water sources around.

I  was reminded of  DH Lawrence's beautifully-observed poem about the venomous snake that comes to his water trough and leaves him conflicted about how to react - whether to respect it or to destroy it.

 Newts are harmless though, except to tadpoles.