red (newt) mandala and remains

I found this red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) hanging out by what remained of a mandala I’d built only a few days before. I love these small creatures for their fantastic color, and resemblance to dinosaurs. Easily scared into a frozen posture, it can take many minutes of sitting very calm and still to witness their tiny feet move to a prehistoric rhythm, but it’s well worth the wait. I’ll try to capture this on video to share with you sometime soon.