Spam, spam, spam...

Due to platefuls of spam lately, it's possible that e-mails you have sent me have been identified as Junk by my computer. In the absence of a good fire-breather mail system, please try again, and give your e-mail a heading that makes it clear you know something about one of the books. Anything that looks as though you're trying to sell me something will be dumped unread...

And then there are the deer...

When I go adder-watching, I often see roe deer. Because I'm standing so still, and keeping so quiet, they often don't see me until the last moment. They veer to one side and go bounding off as though the hounds of hell are at their heels, clearly horrified by their lapse of concentration. The best way watch creatures as timid as these is to disguise your outline, so that they don't see you as a human being. I photographed these two from behind a tree.

More snakes...

It seems that there's an interloper at Adder Mansions... This rather handsome grass snake has been basking in the late autumn sunshine, not too far away from the pile of brushwood the adders call Home. It's a bit shy about having its photograph taken, however, and doesn't hang around for long.

Lilywithers introduces herself

Hiya, kids, colts, fillies and foals!

My name's Lilywithers, and I'm taking over from Pewtermane as agony aunt. I'm a lot younger than the old master - I've only just completed my Thinking is Good for You course - but I'm raring to go. My special interests are mythical singers; unlike Fuzzy, I'm not into squawk music. I think Led Zeppelin and the Arctic Monkeys are really smooth. So let's get started.

Dear Pewtermane,
Help! I am a Japegrin and my eyes are starting to turn blue! I'm trying to find a potion to change them back; I was considering Snakeweed's potions, but I'm not sure I trust him... He's scary.

Your friend, Rainflower

Dear Rainflower,
What a cool name! Names are like, crucial. You’re dead right not to trust Snakeweed’s potions. If I were you, I’d listen to a lot of Frank Sinatra records because there's an old brittlehorn saying - like cures like. To find out Frank Sinatra’s nickname, click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra
and look under Background information.

Lilywithers
pp Pewtermane

Adding some more wildlife photos...

Today I achieved a lifetime's ambition by seeing a pair of adders in the wild. September is a good time for spotting snakes in England, as the weather has begun to get a little cooler and they are more sluggish. Although adders are poisonous, and a bite should always be treated seriously, there have only been 12 deaths from adder bites in the last 100 years. Snakes are far more frightened of people than we realise, and they will escape at the first opportunity.

I do like reptiles; I think they're really beautiful, and when, eventually, these two slithered off it looked as though someone had poured them away like water. Adders in England hibernate each winter, and a lot of them may use the same place. They don't lay eggs; they give birth to live young.

There are two very good websites I can recommend:

http://www.crislis.co.uk/adder/index.htm

http://www.herp.it/

And I've just discovered that snakes don't hibernate, they brumate... For information on this and diapause, estivation, and torpor, go to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dormancy

Frigate birds and fruit bats

I have been to Mexico this past week, birdwatching and visiting the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. It’s the first time I’ve returned to Central America since I went to Costa Rica and had the inspiration for The Divide, and it was just as beautiful as I remembered. The pelicans and the frigate birds were the most memorable sightings, soaring over the hotel with an elegance and an expertise that left me awestruck.

The most exciting part of the trip was snorkelling in an underground river system, accessed through a cenote, which is a sinkhole filled with crystal clear water. As you go further in the caves are decorated with the most exquisite stalactites and stalagmites, and cave swallows and fruit bats make their homes in the rocky roof.

I was very impressed by the organisers (http://www.alltournative.com/) who are committed to eco-tourism and supporting sustainable development for the Mayan people who live there today. You are not allowed to swim if you’re wearing insect repellent, suntan lotion or perfume, as it pollutes the water. My guide, Markus, was a turtle expert. We kayaked out to a reef and swam in the Caribbean with loggerhead turtles, parrotfish and a stingray! And as a final treat, in the airport gardens, I saw a pair of Morpho butterflies. Those of you who’ve read The Divide may remember the line on page 10… A Morpho butterfly the size of a tea-plate, its wings the most astonishing metallic blue…

The Wasp Spider

Today I found one of the most beautiful spiders we have in England - Argiope bruennichi. She weaves a large orb web, with an amazing zig-zag pattern in it. The male is very tiny, and may only be a quarter of the size of the female, who can be as large as two centimetres in length. You can see an insect she has caught for her dinner, and wrapped in silk. Of course, it could be her mate... This spider is sometimes known as the Wasp Spider, because of her striped markings, and she's completely harmless to humans. I've never seen one before, so I was thrilled to come across her in Nonsuch Park, in Surrey. I left her exactly where she was, of course. If there weren't any spiders we'd all be overrun with insects in no time at all!