The world still manages to throw out surprises.

Two of them today (at least two...).

First, in this, our sixth consecutive year of drought, and the driest and hottest year in a half-century, I find...

Two new, large beaver ponds where there have been no ponds in, what, decades?

And secondly, in the lower pond (but not in the upper pond), I find hundreds and hundreds of amphibians.

Okay, okay. So they're still juveniles. Tadpoles. Pollywogs, what have you.

Still.

They're amphibians!

In the middle of a drought.

Thanks, beaver.