Pandapas Pond and Beavers

After Stake Conference in Pembroke, we stopped to have a picnic lunch at Pandapas Pond.A turtle basking in the sun is most likely a red-eared slider or yellow bellied slider.

This pile of sticks is actually a beaver lodge.

Beavers
In 1911, beavers were almost extinct in Virginia and were restored in 1932. They are active in and around Pandapas Pond and the wetland. Male and females live together in beaver lodges, are monogamous, and can live up to 20 years. Their lodges include an indoor platform that sits above the water level. They can hold their breath under water for up to 15 minutes. They typically breed in March and give birth to two to six young in May.

Beavers build dams that raise water levels; which kills trees and opens up the forest canopy. The result is a wetland that is ideal for pioneer species.

Beavers are second only to humans in landscape disruption. In addition to wood, beavers eat shrubs and cause them to sprout horizontally instead of vertically. They eat aquatic vegetation, apples, and can grow up to 80 lbs.

Grandpa Hansen with the kids in front of the southern wetland section of the pond.