by Mary Reid Barrow

If by chance you have been spooked by a “water geyser” spewing up from the stormwater pond near the Brock Environmental Center at Pleasure House Point, it’s not an underwater goblin on a Halloween trick or treat run.

Though taken aback by the sight of the sudden rush of water, Steve Daniel was quick with his camera and took these photos.

Cristin Pullman, LRNow’s assistant director, has heard the spectacle is caused by an air release from the  City’s pump station north of the pond.

Though it looks like something or someone is playing a trick on you, it’s a normal occurrence in an otherwise decidedly un-spooky pond!

Just in time for Halloween, a huge black witch moth flew into town and spent the night in Kings Grant.

Nancy Gorry took this photo of the mammoth moth on her neighbor’s front porch. She checked with local insect expert Maurice Cullen who said it probably was blown in from farther south by the near hurricane we had recently.

The primarily black and brown moth has been described as bat-like, growing up to 10 inches wide. Nancy said she thought it was probably as big as her hand.

“Quite an impressive moth!” she said.

As the name, witch moth implies, the critter has become both a bad omen and a symbol of good luck in various cultures.

“It looked in great shape, and it was gone the next morning,” Nancy said.

Off to spread Halloween vibes through the neighborhood!

Speaking of seasons, who would think that a North End yard could become a turtle “coven” where a young turtle’s thoughts would turn to love.

Christy Hamlin in the North End knows all too well what a little warm October weather will do for turtle love. Christy has marked the box turtles in her yard for about a year and has seen 22 so far.

But recently she counted eight different turtles in her yard over a three-day period, and several had a go round with “Number 7” which she describes as a “stud muffin”!

“Don’t tell me these were random hook ups,” Christy wrote. “Three business encounters in three days! Turtle pheromones must be real or maybe they felt the cooler weather coming on…”

Christy does nothing to attract turtles to her yard, but she lives next to First Landing State Park, and has a fair amount of cover and a sprinkler system, probably just the right elements for a box turtle coven.

“I’m not surprised by breeding activity, especially since it has been relatively dry in our area until recently,” said Maurice Cullen, my go-to nature expert.

It’s also bird migration season and what better time to be reminded that decals on your picture windows really can save little lives.

Sandy Pilkington took this sad photo of a bluebird that had just crashed into a window when she was visiting in Smithfield. The little bird soon flew off, and we can only hope it is ok.

But the incident reminded Sandy of the importance of window decals to deter birds from flying into clear glass windows. Wild Birds Unlimited at Hilltop, among other places, has an array of decals for sale.