Abstract: Reflections on a Vernal Pool

It is springtime, and I'll be the first to admit that, like some strange unholy ghost, I've been haunting the vernal pools. And I was there again on this day: among other things, trying to get a decent photo of the tiniest turtle I've ever seen, totally adorbs, who lives on the small frog pond where I had one of the peak amphibian experiences of my life a few weeks back.

But the turtle was having none of my nonsense. You know how it goes. I saw it sitting serenely on its log at the far end of the pond. I took two steps closer, to get a better shot. I should have stayed put behind my tree and simply ZOOMED. On step number two, the turtle slid into the pond; refused to come out, despite my waiting another 5 to 10 minutes. I will be back, tiny turtle, you can count on that!

The pollen is going crazy now, as any local allergy sufferer can probably tell you, and so there is a surface layer of pollen atop every single vernal pool. I liked the way the pollen wiggles seemed to give me "brush strokes" for this picture, which is a photo, not a painting, though it surely looks that way!

I do love the waters when they are still and clear and mirror-like. But I find it interesting when some new element obscures the clarity, and turns the reflections into something less clear, but just as pretty. So please enjoy this unusual shot of my beloved woods and waters, reflected strangely on the pollen atop a vernal pool in the Scotia Barrens.

The soundtrack song is this one: Reflections of My Life, by The Marmalade.

Bonus: I went back the next day and photographed the Tiny Turtle!