The Pond

Aquatic paradise

This pond is fed by runoff from rain. During droughts and the peak of summer, the water level gets very low. In the winter, this pond sometimes freezes over. If you wait quietly on the observation deck, you might see newts, tadpoles, frogs, and turtles, and more. The resident turtles are eastern painted turtles, a common aquatic species in Virginia. In the winter when they brumate, the reptilian equivalent of hibernate, turtles burrow under logs and in crevices along the pond's bottom. 

Please be kind...

As visitors to this aquatic community, we're delighted you can observe wildlife in their natural habitat. Thank you for refraining from handling or otherwise disturbing them.

Almost all animals need water to survive. The creeks, ponds, and wetlands around Boxerwood create a variety of habitats that benefit different species of vertebrate and invertebrate species. By definition, amphibians live part of their lives in water and part on land. Other animals need fresh water to drink. Unlike people, animals don't have access to water wherever they are and must sometimes travel to find it.