On the northeast side, a large clump locals call the Floating Island sometimes undergoes a transformation. Little pieces break away and head across the pond like birds leaving the nest.

“Some of those chunks are small; some of them are quite large,” said Royce Coburn, who witnesses the phenomenon from his home on the west side of the pond. “This one is one of the largest I’ve seen.”

Indeed, the chunk that came drifting across Sabattus Pond on Friday afternoon looked like a tiny continent roaming all by itself. The mass is mostly wild grass, with roots dangling below the water, Coburn said.

“It will eventually go across the lake and attach itself,” Coburn said. “It’s just looking for a place to stop. It kind of makes me think of the mangroves down in Florida.”

Coburn estimated the transient island to be 30 feet long and perhaps 15 feet wide. It’s large enough to put up a lawn chair and maybe have a barbecue, but Coburn said he’s never seen anyone try. He was content to break out his camera and snap still shots and video of the weirdness.

mlaflamme@sunjournal.com