No cooperation

I climbed down to the waters edge and set up a shot of two big turtles on a log. The whole time they were both watching me intently. A second before I hit the shutter they both dived into the water. As I walked back up the embankment, I looked over my shoulder and they were climbing back up.

This, like most ponds in Michigan is a result of the last glacial advance. Habitats include upland hardwoods, swamp forest, and leatherleaf bog. They are a great place to observe migrant birds such as scarlet tanagers, veeries, wood thrushes, and waterthrushes. Pileated woodpeckers and barred owls are frequently heard in the woods. These vernal ponds provide breeding areas for a number of amphibians, including salamanders, wood frogs, gray tree frogs, and newts.

As a child, I had a newt. I named him "Tiny". Because, he was my-newt.