Finally, a new task completion!
This is the first I've done for a while, but I hope to follow it up with more, rather than an empty gap in time like I have done previously.

So what do you do when God comes down and tells you that there's going to be a flood? As an atheist, I was not willing to take the warning seriously at first, but when a light shower fell one morning, I decided I'd better make preparations...

My first idea for this task was to make HMS Origami II. However, due to the failure of HMS Origami, I decided to make an ark from a new design. I collected these materials:


The constuction of the boat was relatively easy. I haven't put all of the photos in this write-up, but they are accessable from the bottom of the page.


I then tested the boat, which was a lot more successful than my previous boat design.


The next stage was naming the boat. I stuck with simply calling it New Ark, although when I'd got the name written on in with tipp-ex correction tape, it looked more like Newark:


The last addition to my ark came about by chance. I found the head of a stag beetle on the lawn in my garden. Presumably a bird had eaten it, but they leave behind the heads because they are too tough to swallow. Anyway, I put this find to good use as a figurehead for the ark, because all good ships have a figurehead.


In the evening I set a pitfall trap to catch some insects to populate my ark. I was hoping for something big, perhaps even a living stag beetle.


As it turned out, all I got from the trap was a small colony of ants. But I carried on looking around the garden for creatures that needed saving.




Although it is true that I lost a few creatures to the dangerous waters of my pond, I think you'll agree after seeing this photo that it was not entirely my fault.


After some successful insect collecting, I set sail.


In the evening I set the pitfall trap in a different place, where I had found the most creatures in the day. The second day's collection was far more successful:


I was particularly pleased with the collection of a pair of millipedes which were, in the absense of a stag beetle, by far the best catch:



I then set sail for the second time, with a more crowded ark.


The following list is of all the creatures I saved from the flood (which never actually came - thanks for the false alarm, God) over the two days:

1 pair of millipedes
1 pair of centipedes
1 pair of spiders
2 pairs of slugs
2 pairs of woodlice (+ 1 extra)
Several pairs of ants (red and black)
Several pairs of little unidentified white beetles (possibly a type of bark beetle)
1 snail
1 worm
1 dead fly in a spider's web (not technically 'saved')


It may not look like much, but it took a lot of work to catch the centipedes and woodlice. I was very pleased with catching millipedes, although they did not move particularly quickly.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed searching the garden for creatures. It is interesting to find out how many things actually live in your garden. During the search for smaller creatures, I found a toad hiding in one of the flower borders. I knew we had toads in the garden, but I hadn't seen one before.
The only thing which could have improved my ark, I think, is if I had found a live stag beetle. I know they're in the garden somewhere, because I've seen them before.

From this task, I have learned which parts of my garden are best for catching insects. So now, if there's ever a real flood, I'll know what to do.