Minibeasts and a new Planter

It was time to replace an old wooden planter which has stood next to the pond for more than a decade. The wood was beginning to rot but what to replace it with? I had had my eye on a wishing well planter for a while and finally got round to ordering one. It arrived by courier on Saturday morning so I set about assembling it. I had wondered just how much assembly would be needed but there were only 15 parts and sections which needed screwing and bolting together as some sections we pre-assembled. In a bit less than an hour there it was ready to put in place:



Then came the task of dismantling the old planter and finding some wood to make a shallow stand to raise it up a bit. That was when I found the minibeasts sheltering under rotting wood:



Among the dozens of woodlice was a rather splendid beetle:





Seeing how the wishing well would look in its chosen spot next to the pond:



At home on its shallow stand which has spaces underneath for frogs and newts to shelter:



Now all I have to do is buy some more compost and a few plants to finish it off.

To finish off here, here is some hand held video of the minibeasts:



All in all a satisfactory day with afternoon Sunshine and the temperature reaching 16C. I ended up wearing jeans and a short sleeved shirt as it was really warm working where I was sheltered from any cooling breeze.