There are all sorts of migrant songbirds starting to call and challenge the ears, to say nothing of dazzling the eyes. But I needed a break from looking up—my neck wasn't happy—so I decided to rake some leaves that had accumulated over the winter, and when I was starting to gather the haul, I noticed an all-too-still form on one of the stone steps. From the brilliant white belly, flecked with large black spots, I knew I had inadvertently raked a Four-toed Salamander out of its hiding place, and from its immobility, I feared I had accidentally killed it. Thankfully, it was playing possum, and after a brief recovery period, the small amphibian flipped over on its front, put the four toes on each of its four feet—most salamanders have five toes on their rear feet—to good use, and vanished back under another patch of leaves. I left those as a refuge.