Spring - and nature knows best

Sketch  of Loch Linnhe  on Tuesday

 Recently we have had some cold weather with lots of snow on the hills This was interspersed with the normal dreary days of  cold rain that this part of the world is famous for .However last Friday although wet it seemmed warmer . Running home from work in the dark I almost stepped on a frog on two occasions. The frogs were motionless on the path as if unsure whether to go back into hibernation or head for a pool and start mating.  It got me thinking as to what triggers the frogs and  toads to emerge - is it just air temperature, or day length  or some collective decision mysteriously communicated throughout the frog world!To me after all the wintry weather it was recklessly premature , but sure enough at the weekend I noticed large clumps of frog spawn in pools in the forest.
 In this area  there is plenty of fast flowing streams , but few ponds for frogs to spawn into . Instead the eggs are often deposited in small pools and even deep puddles.This makes the spawn more vulnerable to frost , predation or drying out later on. Clearly producing early tadpoles is an advantage in terms of maximizing growth in the first year, but hazardous given the vagaries of scottish weather.

From the road to Kilchoan on a sunny March day

However maybe the frogs and toads knew something I didn't, because this week an area of high pressure has settled over the U.K. pushing the jet stream north . It has been unbelievably sunny and  warm (albeit with some overnight frost ).
On Monday I had a busy day travelling  to Strontian and then Kilchoan - the most western point of mainland Britain. It was just gorgeous  in the warm balmy weather!  Yesterday I sketched outside for I think the first time this year without getting cold fingers.

Loch Eil from  Blaich

The other two are small paintings I completed today, both are from recent photographs.