what have you found in your garden recently?

[Carakeel]

Yesterday we came across a beautiful Hawk Moth (or Hummingbird Hawk Moth) in our secret garden. It was the first time I have seen one. It was about 2" long and nearly as thick as my thumb, also very lively! I had to quickly move it away from the dogs as Gilly was wanting to play with it. Hope we eventually get to see the Hawk Moth in flight.
This is the little fellow we found:

http://i1098.photobuc...20Garden/P1010118.jpg

What creatures have you found in your gardens this year?

[Frank97]

I asked about it here a few months ago.
http://www.theanswerb.../Question1002854.html

[wolf63]

I haven't got a garden - but wake to find two moggies in my bedroom each morning.

Our fellow AB members have found strange things - one found a family of seals under her garden shed and another a family of raccoons in his neighbours shed.

;-)

[Prudie]

I also had Jersey Tiger Moths like snags, they appeared for the first time last year. A girlfriend found 2 dead guinea pigs on the lawn that were buried in plastic bags 10 years ago - she has a new puppy!

[rsvp]

I've seen a couple of tiny, tiny sand coloured gekko type creatures - they have large eyes (in proportion to their body) -any ideas? -total length just over an inch - they are really beautiful little things.

[Frank97]

Could be a garden lizard but I thought they were darker than that.

[Canary42]

Stag beetles.
Toads.
Hedgehog.
Crashed car.

[snags]

''Crashed car''

Domestic or wild?

[rsvp]

thanks D97x7 - will google that now

[Carakeel]

Lol @ snags!!

[Carakeel]

Oh, I wish I would find some seals in my garden!!! Now that would be exciting!! I can just see them chasing our wolfies around the garden, each barking at the other! lol

[what..the?]

found a buff-tip moth which looks like a sliver birch twig

http://www.flickr.com...514835/in/photostream

[rsvp]

no, wasn't that - wrong shape and skin type - definitely looked like a tiny gekko to me. Do we get them in this country?

[snags]

Newts?

[Prudie]

rsvp could it be a young newt? picture might not work
http://www.google.co....,s:0&biw=1366&bih=569

[Eve]

Not much, too urban. The cats seem to find plenty of bugs to stalk though and there are the usual slugs, snails and spiders - shook my garden shoes (battered ones for mowing etc...) out the other week and ended up screeching and a spider leapt out of one at me! Next door's dog usually comes and snuffles his nose under the fence at me if I'm sat on the back doorstep.

My parents get more back in Shropshire. In the past there have been badgers (think they've moved due to building works), hedghogs, a heron after the fish in the pond and even a peacock (noisy beggar!) - a guy who lived nearby has some and they go wandering sometimes. The badgers were gorgeous, my parents have quite a long garden up a few levels and they used to leave stuff outside a shed right at the top so they've trigger the security light on the shed without feeling threatened close to the house so we could watch them.

[what..the?]

I found the exact same type of newt the other week

[what..the?]

just googling moths and found this interesting

http://www.encycloped...rth-of-luna-moth.aspx

[rsvp]

snags and prudie thank you - I think that's it - lighter in colour and a bit smaller but the overall shape and eyes are very similar - yea, aren't I lucky, newts in the garden!!!! appreciate the help.

[Prudie]

Perhaps it was really a-wooing?
OMG I looked at the clip with the spider and the beetle, I will have nightmares now.