Newt collectors

[eve_prime]

Today I went down to the park to meet J, who was returning from a riverside bike ride, and I found three girls who were collecting newts! They’d found 20 but only put five into their containers – the others were mating so they knew not to disturb them. One told me about someone who would take newts home to feed them to snakes, and I was a bit concerned about the newts’ eventual fate, but after I met up with J we found the girls releasing the three they still had. They were all aware that they needed to wash their hands after handling the newts (whose skin is toxic) – personally, I wouldn’t have wanted them to handle the newts at all, but they seemed to be getting something out of it.

Later we did our taxes, although I still have to print and mail the state return, as it costs $20 to do so electronically. Tomorrow, I hope.

Comments

[heleninwales]

Newts are very rare here in the UK. Yet when I was a child they could be found on wasteland in the city. I don't know what changed or why newts were so vulnerable compared to frogs and toads.

[eve_prime]

Oh, that's different from here, where the newts are reliably found in the creek every spring, but frogs are much less common than they'd been.

[claidheamhmor]

Are you sure they're not witches?

[eve_prime]

They might like to be! :)