Actias luna, commonly known as the Luna Moth, is a lime-green moth.  
It has a wingspan of up to 4.5 inches making it one of the largest moths in North America.                                                                                                  
They can live up to 7 days and usually produce only one generation per year.                                                                                                                   
Female Luna Moths lay 100 - 300 eggs, 4 - 7 eggs at a time, on the underside of leaves.                                                                                                   
They incubate for eight to thirteen days.

BLACK BEAR and a FOX at BEEBE POND

In late April 2010 a Black Bear and her three cubs damaged bird feeders at Alex Pritchard's.  She  damaged our bird feeders on 4/29 & 4/30 and those at John Marold's on 5/02.  See Vermont Black Bears:  www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/Factsheets/Hunting_and_trapping/Big_Game/black_bear_fact_sheet.pdf

This Fox was at the Eldens in August 2009. 

In June of 2010 a fox and her kits were seen at the Mason's.  In May 2014  a fox and her kits were under the horse stalls at the Masons.

SNAKES

We have common water snakes and garter snakes at Beebe Pond 

It was fascinating to watch a snake eating a frog at Beebe:

 
0n 7.31.2013 we found a descendant of our old garter snakes , Hector and Crictor.                See him sunning himself on a green surf board at Beebe.

FROGS

Here is a frog at Beebe Pond and a Leopard Frog on "Tim's Trail in West Haven, Vermont:

YELLOW SPOTTED SALAMANDER 

 BIG TREES

American Forests, founded in 1875, is the oldest national nonprofit conservation organization in the United States. States.                              
American Forests publishes American Forests magazine quarterly and promotes  the National Register of Big Trees every other year.  
On a national basis there is the “biggest” maple, “biggest” pine, etc.  And the same is true in each state. state.                                                            
There are also national and state lists of the “biggest” trees of all types lumped together.
Big Tree "POINTS" are used to determine the “bigness” of a tree.                                                                                                                                         
Big Tree “Points” =  Height in feet + ¼ of the Crown in feet +  Girth or Circumference in inches.

The “biggest” tree in Vermont in 2003 was a cottonwood in Hubbardton. 
As you can see from the few statistics above, a major factor in determining “points” is the girth.                                                        
The Hubbardton cottonwood has a circumference of 296 inches, so the diameter is about 94 inches (almost 8 feet).                                                
This tree is located on private property on Hinkley Road. 
Cottonwood tree were well-adapted to life on the prairie, Irecognized by the shiny leaves that shimmer and shake in the wind. 
The pioneers were always glad to spot one of these trees in the distance, since it offered the possibility of wood and shade.  
It also represented the chance of finding water, since this species likes to keep its feet wet, so to speak. 

Cottonwoods can be either male or female.  The fluffy white seeds produced by the females during early summer give the tree its name. 
The seeds are very small, 1mm wide by 4 mm long, producing one of the largest trees in North America. (100 ft. high, trunks 5 ft. in diameter.)
Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) is short-lived but the fastest-growing commercial forest species in North America.
Cottonwoods  grow best on moist well-drained sands or silts near streams, often in pure stands. 
The lightweight, rather soft wood is used primarily  for core stock in manufacturing furniture and for pulpwood.                                             
Eastern cottonwood is one of the few hardwood species that is planted and grown specifically for these purposes. purposes.                                
Range: eastern North America.  Height: 75 to 100 ft.  Type: deciduous tree.  Leaves: 3 to 6 inches long.