In and around my hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia there are many trails to walk or bike – the opportunity to commune with nature is amazing. A ride through Mainland Farm, the oldest continuously cultivated farm in the country and the site of the 1781 Battle of Green Springs, takes you past Beaver Pond. So named for the stubborn beavers that have persisted to build and re-build their dam, flooding a beautiful forest and creating a mirage-like area of trees rooted in a shallow pond and a new world of opportunity for area wildlife. One half expects leprechauns to be dancing on the tree-islands.