May 17, 2026

Here is the picture I probably sent you before, but I love the way these little black squirrels seem to fly from plant box to plant box!  This is probably Chaim's special friend Larry in flight!  

Picture 2:  This is Miranda, the Snapping Turtle from the Whitehouse Nature Center last week.  I didn't have her full name back then!

Let's jump back and look at some of our plant favorites.  My next-door neighbor Deb apparently owns a young Dogwood tree.  (Look at the lower left).  I had forgotten that!  I should have remembered, since I saw it when she got it last year!  Can someone remind me what the lovely plant at the right is??  If you will, I'll immortalize your name for next week at least!

One of the animals we can almost always count on spotting these days is one of the American Toads.  Here are two shots..

I know you are dying to know if I have spotted any Frogs lately, and sadly the answer is still no.  Why do we seem to love Frogs but not Toads?  My heart is starting to warm up to the latter, though the childhood love for Froggies is still there!  here is one of  them, taken by Kathleeen Seidl this weekend at the cemetery.  Since I haven't identified any Frogs yet this Spring, I'll go out on a limb and call this a Toad.  In fact, I'll call it an American Toad, since that is the only kind I've seen this year!

Since I got a late start on editing today, this had better be close to the end of our offerings.  Nothing really new in the Pond for now and similarly on land I guess.  Have a great week!  Much love, Martha