We used to see Box Turtles in the back yard every year. We never knew where they came from, and we never discovered where they went, but one day in late spring or early summer, they would just appear in the grass or the garden and spend a little time with us, as they scarfed up wild berries, worms, and bugs. They were most welcome guests. But then—it had to be almost 20 years ago, they simply stopped coming and we feared the worst: too close an encounter with a car, which, all too often, is the "predator" that claims the life of this ordinarily long-lived reptile. Today, however—cause for joy! Unbidden and certainly unexpected, an adult Terrepene carolina made its presence known as it ambled over the unkempt grass. Could it have been there all that supposedly turtle-empty time and just not shown up when observers were present? That's impossible to know, but here was a Box Turtle, mesmerizing my granddaughter Stasia and absolutely delighting her grandparents.