I often write about a particular seasonal marsh located in the Allegan Forest. In the summer months the marsh is home many dragonflies, frogs, and other small creatures. In addition, it’s not uncommon to find a few deer along its edge, or running through it, on a summer day.

For me, it’s also one of those places I just enjoy visiting. Going there is like hanging out with an old friend – never mind that I first found the place just five years ago. So imagine my surprise when I stopped by today, just to say hello, and found that the seasonal marsh was now… a pond!

It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago I would walk across the marsh, the tall grass reaching chest high. I used to talk about the “heart of the marsh” – a small area just a few hundred square feet in size that would remain wet year round, while the rest receded and dried up during the summer months.

I guess the last few years have been pretty wet, and things must have reached a tipping point. Last fall the water level was high, but grasses still waved several feet in the air above the surface of the water. By winter a solid sheet of ice covered the marsh. Now that it has thawed, the marsh is a pond of open water.

But just as a point of reference, here’s the same marsh/pond as of last November:

I wonder when fish will appear.

Certain dragonflies – like the Spatterdock Darner – thrive in fishless ponds. If the water levels stay this high I guess it’s only a matter of time until bluegills and minnows appear.

In the meantime, frogs were abundant, judging from their croaking. This field is always full of blue jays, and they gave me a raucous welcome (or scolding) as I wandered around. There was even a good sized eastern box Blanding’s Turtle, sunning itself by the edge of this new pond.