Dear Readers, I saw my first frog of the year in the front garden on Tuesday, hopping around in the lavender. There is nobody in the pond yet, but I can’t wait for the first eager little faces popping up above the water. There is something about the utter witlessness of frogs that makes me love them even more – the local cats tend to enjoy whacking them on the head with their paws, and heaven help any frog who finds themselves in the undergrowth when there’s a feline about. I shall have to get my water pistol out again.
But in the meantime, let’s see how you are at identifying the creatures that you might find in and around a garden pond. I’m not doing multiple choice this time, so it’s one point for a totally correct answer and half a point for near enough. You won’t be able to identify everything to species level because some of the little critters are confusing even for experts.
You have until 5 p.m. UK time on Thursday 25th February to pop your answers in the comments, and when I spot them I will unapprove them so that you don’t influence those who answer later. I would still write your answers down on a piece of paper if you don’t want to be tempted though!
Onwards!
What animal is shown in each of these photos?

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