Agree with all Firebird has said.
I've seen the black transparent things too...
The thing is, a long, long time ago, the Earth belonged to the creatures of the wood. By creatures of the wood I mean gnomes, elves, faeries, etc. As agriculture spread, friction between man and these creatures began. Many just backed off into the wood, occasionally playing tricks on the new settlers, like turning the milk sour, rearranging furniture, tipping cows, tickling people's faces in their sleep and once in a while stealing babies and leaving bundles of wood in their place. Ever wonder why the trees, stones, rivers and streams, birds, bears, frogs and snakes no longer talk to us as they did in the early tales of Folklore from Indigenous cultures (and in some places, still do). It's because we're not around to talk to anymore, the connection with the land has (for many) been completely severed and lost. By connecting to the elements (if you cast a circle you salute them!) with your spell work, Heartsong, you may have aroused their curiosity... Take note of which direction they appear. Even if you're doing Natural Magic without a circle, they may be drawn to it. Not everyone agrees with this view in theory, but it is my experience that this is the case.
Theosophically I would conceptualise/approach your creatures as if they were Chthonic spirits. The ancient Greek word chthonic is commonly defined as dark, primitive and mysterious. Chthonic is of the earth or under the earth. The Greek word khthon is one of several for "earth"; it typically refers to the interior of the soil. The chthonic process is an occult "awakening" that includes the very lowest instinctual elements of the human psyche leading to the very highest elements. It is the base, primordial material that the psyche needs in order to evolve and grow. Chthonic is depicted in all myths as the Underworld, Hell or Hades. Jungian author James Hillman considers this Underworld to be the residence of the soul, the place the hero must descend in order to find his essence.
Other chthonic beings are the Cabiri or chthonic dwarf gods. Of the Cabiri Jung writes, "…they are eternally striving from the depths to the heights and therefore are always found to be both below and above." Bears too, are found to be chthonic beings, representing the dark, concrete merciless shadow.
These spirits also correlate to the underworld in Celtic traditions.
Landvættir ("land wights") are spirits of the land in Norse mythology and in Germanic neopaganism. They protect and promote the flourishing of the specific places where they live, which can be as small as a rock or a corner of a field, or as large as a section of a country. Some suggest that landvættir are chthonic in nature, spirits of the dead, but others have interpreted them as nature spirits, since they sometimes live in land that has never been populated. In some way they control the safety of the land, the fertility of the land, and so on. They are "tied to a spot in the landscape, to a huge rock, to a mountain, or to a specially beautiful place". When Norse seafarers approached land, they removed their carved dragon heads from the bows of their longships, so as not to frighten and thus provoke the landvættir to attack, thereby incur bad luck from them.
Vættir (Old Norse; singular Vættr) or wights are nature spirits in the Norse religion. These nature spirits are divided up into 'families', including the Álfar (elves), Dvergar (dwarves), Jötnar (giants), and even gods, the Æsir and Vanir, who are understood to be prominent families among them. The term 'families' (ættir) is often translated as 'clans' or 'races'. These families sometimes intermarried with each other, and sometimes with humans. Sjövættir (sea spirits) are guardians of the specific waters. The tomte or nisse is a solitary vätte, living on the farmstead. He is usually benevolent and helpful, which can not be said about a mischievous illvätte. However he can cause a lot of damage if he is angry, such as killing livestock.
As far as witchcraft is concerned, you can simply conceptualise and work with them as earth elementals.
I personally picture these types of spirits as the living embodiment or living spirit of the forest and the earth. I ask them to help me find fish and keep away the poisonous snakes. In return our family takes away any rubbish that we see and agrees to care for the land by never using poison or taking more than we need or such things. Leave no trace.
You can keep a neatly piled stack of stones in a specific place for offerings. You could make an offering and see how they respond. If you make a promise, always keep it. I find these spirits mostly dwell in rocks, especially those found at the entrance of things like waterholes or walking tracks. I always take a second to acknowledge them and ask for their protection, touching the rock for a moment and as I agree to respect the area in return. I never take anything without thanking them.
Scrying may give you answers, especially if its into water that exists naturally there, during a full moon (so you don't trip in the dark!). Go barefoot if you can
. Of course, be careful about this if there's anything around that can eat you!
If you go down this path consider scrying (evoking) into a triangle whilst in a protected circle.
Firebirds advise is sound, in that if you leave well enough alone, they will leave you alone, generally. Please update us!
Blessings, Dark Moon.
