I found the turtle and the muskrat just to the left of this Sweet Pepperbush--now in its early leafing. I have found this bush to be a bit of a slow opener and mostly in lowland forest rather than shoreline.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Painted Turtle
This little one was getting some sun when I came upon him. The Painted Turtle, Chrysemys picta, gets its name from those red markings around the edge of the shell, but the plastron (the belly shell) can be very beautifully marked as well. It's probably not long now out of hibernation. Isn't it marvelous how so much of nature 'wakes up' each year? Such richness we have around us...
I found the turtle and the muskrat just to the left of this Sweet Pepperbush--now in its early leafing. I have found this bush to be a bit of a slow opener and mostly in lowland forest rather than shoreline.
I found the turtle and the muskrat just to the left of this Sweet Pepperbush--now in its early leafing. I have found this bush to be a bit of a slow opener and mostly in lowland forest rather than shoreline.
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Love the little petal on his shell!
ReplyDeleteI had a painted turtle sunning on the rock at the tip of our point for most of the day today. I have tried in vain to get such a shot as yours but they always slip into the water too quickly for me.
Last year, we had a couple of mating snapping turtles in the shallow end of our cove who were far more preoccupied with other things than worrying about me on shore. Despite the late evening hour (i.e. slow shutter speeds and white balance issues) I managed to get some fairly decent photos.
~gretchen
I've been on the lookout for snappers but nothing so far. Those sound like some very cool photos!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know until processing that the turtle had his eyes open. I kinda thought it might be sleeping and that if I walked very carefully that I might get closer. No way! :-) Nothing slow about a turtle sliding off a rock!