May 11

My son and I walked the berm line of the Asnebumskit Pond dam today on our way to the remnant path of the far side of the spillway. To the north of the berm, a bog exists, where the seepage across the spill empties into a low basin on its way to the stream that feeds Streeter Pond below. There are beaver in this bog, and we easily see sapling trees that bear the marks of teeth, some which have been cut down entirely leaving only the sharpened remains behind. This place is home to the red-winged blackbirds, and our presence sets off a cacophony of alarm.

As we walked the berm toward the spillway not 100 yards ahead, I noted the blooming of bluets and strawberries amid the grassy growth and dandelions. The pond side has new shoots of Phragmites growing from the sere plants still standing tall from last autumn. A tiny motion caught my son’s eye as we passed, and he spotted a small turtle hatchling, no bigger than a quarter, moving just of the berm close to the water.

I lifted the turtle into my palm, and we watched it slowly move its head and limbs out from within its shell. A sudden movement by my son, and the turtle retreated within, locked protectively away in its little shell.

We placed it near the reeded water’s edge and made our way to the spillway, hoping to cross the inch or so of water that flowed over the cement and toward the bog. There was an old foot trail on the far side that skirted the hillside and up into the woods from view. Try as we might, there was no going across, for the flowing water across the algae-covered cement was too slippery for secure purchase, and neither of us felt like splashing overboard into the bog.