Many creatures have paid visits to our kitchen over the months. Cats, of course. Basil the rat (who doesn't come now that we have some heavy-duty food containers and a rodent-defying pipe under the sink). A confused bat. And whatever this thing was...

This morning we had our first toad. We were pretty surprised those little stubby legs could get him up the steps...

The garden, too, is a haven for wildlife. We have some pretty formidable but beautiful spiders, and Nigel found the praying mantis (above) this afternoon.

Plus, it turns out the red ants have more to them than meets the eye. The red ants are a pest, frankly. They have a very nasty little bite, they are very free about using it, and they seem to consider the entire garden their territory. They were particularly objectionable after the ash fall, and believe me, fending off swarms of truculent ants does not improve the ash-removal experience one little bit.

But today Nigel spotted two leaves on the frangipani tree that had been folded over and glued together to make nests:



Our ants, it seems, are weaver ants, and they are really pretty incredible.

They have complex social roles, and sophisticated communication systems involving touch, scent, and symbolic movement.

And they make their nests by erecting cranes -- made of ants...

Which, I have to admit, makes me see these small, bitey nuisances in a somewhat different light...