Why did the critter cross the road?

To get to the other side, yes, I know. I just wondered why these small animals insisted on crossing a dirt road I was walking along yesterday, when there are miles and miles of countryside available where they don't run the risk of being crushed by tyres.

The first one I saw venturing across was this pale tussock caterpillar, quite spectacular even though I had seen one before:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 42mm, ISO160, f3.2, 1/160

The same one from the side:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 42mm, ISO200, f5.6, 1/80

Next was this tiny young toad:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 200mm, ISO200, f2.8, 1/80

It stopped moving once it had reached the other side, maybe it thought this was a good hiding place:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 180mm, ISO200, f2.8, 1/50

Another caterpillar:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 42mm, ISO400, f4, 1/60

Even this tiny cicade ventured onto the road:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 42mm, ISO200, f3.5, 1/40

They all made it safely across, I'm happy to say.

This is the end of the dirt road. It leads to a wood called Elzinkhof, where I had a nice long walk, it being an unusually sunny day for October:

Olympus Stylus 1s, 150mm, ISO160, f5.6, 1/320

It was so warm, that the dragonflies and butterflies came out to play.