I WAS HOPING WE WOULD SEE HIM....

 and we settled down on another vacant bench and waited quietly.The waterlily pads were plentiful, though the actual waterlilies had closed up for the night.  Still very beautiful!

This was our view. 

There was a splash and we saw a body, a tail and a flip as something slid under the water. 

It was our North American Beaver, which I have mentioned several times before.  (Some of my info may be a repeat.)

Our North American beaver is the largest rodent in North America, and is the second largest in the world behind the South American capybara, though smaller I believe than the Eurasian variety.   You can read about the reintroduction of the North American beaver to Europe here.

The North American beaver is semiaquatic.  The back feet are webbed while the front feet are smaller, clawed and dexterous.  They have membranes that cover their eyes to see while submerged.  It also has the ability to seal its nostrils and ears under the water, and capable of gnawing under water by keeping their lips closed behind their front teeth.

There it goes, disappearing among the lilypads.  We only had a few minutes to enjoy but we will remember to return at the same time.  They are more active later in the day.

There is more information at this website.  

We saw one turtle at the pond (right-hand side of the above photo resting on the raft).  There were also butterflies which I will share next time.  It is always very pleasant here and we go back often.

Thanks for looking and I hope you day is a great one.