Kermit

This guy is Kermit. He came with the pond, which came with the house when we bought it last year. He survived the winter, I assume hibernating in the mud at the bottom of the pond. When it started to get warm this spring, we saw him hanging out again in and by the pond. Then one day he was gone. It's been at least 6 weeks, maybe more, since we last saw him, so we assume he moved on, probably looking for a mate. So, we miss Kermit, but now we have the turtle. I found him in the pond again when I came home for work. It is incredibly hot outside and I know he needs hydration, but my fear continues to be that he can get in, but that he cannot get back out. So, I'm happy to have him take dips in the pond, but feel I must monitor him to make sure he doesn't drown or get waterlogged in there. We haven't named the turtle. Frankly, I'm hoping he moves on so that I don't have to feel responsible for his welfare.

More on Box Turtle

Oops. . .almost forgot. We saw the box turtle again tonight. This time he was in our pond, which I don't think is a good thing because our pond is above ground on one side with slate overhangs and he/she could have fallen in, but have no way to get out. Also, do they eat goldfish? Anyway, we took him out and put him on dry land again. Here's a photo of our pond. I took a photo of the turtle in the pond, but that one's still in the camera. Maybe tomorrow.