A flash of a large fin stopped me in my tracks, and before my astonished eyes, an enormous fish, over 3 feet long, swam to the water's edge. With its two chin whiskers busily probing, the fish soon began to loudly suck mud. The fish was a common carp, a native of Europe and Asia that was introduced to North America in 1831 and is now nearly everywhere. It grows to 4 feet long. Because carp root in mud for organic wastes, thus increasing the turbidity of streams and ponds, the presence of these aliens can decrease populations of native fish.
Most people now consider carp a giant pest.
I considered this particular one a blessing, though, because right after it left the bank, a mature painted turtle appeared from the stream depths to forage in the fish's wake. The turtle had orange stripes between the green scutes on its back, yellow markings on its face, neck and legs, and long, sharp-looking claws. I watched the turtle struggle with a loose crayfish claw uncovered by the carp's rooting. It nibbled on this for a while, then it moved to graze on some nearby algae. I was thrilled to see this 10-inch ancestor of the sea turtles I like so much.