The three turtles share the pond with goldfish, minnows and bullfrogs the size of dinner plates. I can transport myself to other worlds in this yard. Take one step onto the patio, and the St. Augustine grass, shrubs and shade trees of the ordinary front yard are forgotten. Palm trees tower in the back yard. Gray-green staghorn ferns reach out from their perches on rock columns.
Orchids punctuate the green landscape with stunning fuchsia, yellow and white blooms.
Cleo, a 9-foot boa constrictor, adds to the authenticity of the jungle setting. Cleo spends part of her time slithering among the plants, the rest in a pet carrier near a secondary pond. Smaller snakes peer out from aquariums on the patio. Dossmann began his tropical project when a friend suggested that he do something besides mow his lawn every week. But he put pencil to paper, creating a plan, then building a model of the lush landscape.