Well, Hello, Friend...

I spent most of yesterday weeding and mowing in the one dry window we had this week. We have been getting showers nearly every day, which makes mowing a bit difficult. After I mow, I always use a pool skimmer to get the grass and any random leaves out of the little decorative pond in our backyard. The pond was a birthday/anniversary gift our first year in the house, and we love it! I love the sound of the water and the sound of frogs every evening. The frogs moved themselves in the first summer, and we have watched new generations emerge every year. Yesterday, I found a new little friend as I was scooping:

A small banded watersnake has moved in. (A huge thanks to David Scott and UGA! They have a fabulous website that had this picture and a great classification guide to help me identify the little guy.) They are totally harmless, except that their primary food source is frogs. As long as he leaves a few, he can stay. (I did gently put him back in the water and walk away.) I really am beginning to think I live in the Wild Kingdom!