Giant Moths, Mantids and Meeting an Old Friend

Summer holiday! Another year has passed and it was time to venture back to our coastal oasis in the South of France. The kids were a year older and a year stronger at swimming, which made a great deal of difference when we ventured out to explore another world beneath the waves. 

The boys were both awe struck by the welter of bizarre marine wildlife. Every day we ventured into the sea with snorkel masks in place and became one with nature. There were fishes of every size and colour, hermit crabs in the thousands, sea slugs, urchins and octopodes. We swam back out to the reef where I happened across Otto - our crafty octopus from last year - and unbelievably he was still inside! I am certain it was the same animal for a few reasons - firstly it was the same size (a big adult and  uncommon that close to the shore), secondly the octopus is a solitary animal and they are very territorial. They don't live long, 3 -5 years at most, but it is entirely possible he was only a year or two old last year. Finally the den itself is well concealed and a prime location. Last year he returned the next day after we caught him and the same thing happened this time. 

It is wonderful to think that Otto had been happily catching crabs and going about his business for twelve months, while we continued our urban existence back in England. There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes, I am sure of it ;-).

I found another Octopus under a huge rock in the sea. My youngest son developed a passion for collecting ocean rocks and building them into walls, which were then incorporated into sandcastles. For a joke I decided to flip a huge boulder and suggest we could drag it to shore. A large octopus shot into view - completely stone coloured and perfectly camouflaged. With some solid team work we managed to net him. Said mollusc was christened Inky (don't worry about the picture below, we soon had him back in the bucket). After some observation myself and the boys swam him out to the deeper kelp beds and watched in awe as he drifted back into camouflaged obscurity. 

Our exploration yielded a few new gems including the weever fish and scorpion fish. Both these species are venomous and it was bucket observation only for the boys. The scorpion fishes were extremely broad and chunky, spending most of their time sitting on the sea bed and skulking around rocks. 

Back at the villa I was sitting on the patio one day when a huge moth crash landed. It had a badly bent wing and I assume it was sitting in the rafters when a gecko decided to take a pop at it. There is no way this lepidopteran beast would fit inside the stomach of a moorish gecko, but that won't stop the game little fellows from trying. Another alternative is that a bird took a bite but failed to secure the massive insect before it fell to earth. Either way it was a surprise. 

Another morning my youngest son stepped outside and spotted a large green insect sitting on the wall. Our first wild praying mantis :). An amazing animal - so well designed for hunting and a beautiful colour. 

You can go on holiday and lounge by the pool all day or get into Davy Jones' locker and experience some oceanic wonders. A different country also harbours all manner of aerial and terrestrial species - many not found in cooler northern climes. 

Some are not so unfamiliar and one evening we happened across a hedgehog doing its rounds. Such beautiful creatures and we watched her for a while as she ambled around the hedgerows and bushes looking for slugs and bugs. 

All in all an amazing time.