Animal Keeper Mikey spotted this E. Painted Turtle in the mulch next to the Red Wolf Exhibit. Here, she is dutifully covering up her nest after a morning of egg laying.

After her nest was covered and she had determined that I was not a threat to her, she headed back to the Wetlands.

Mikey backs out of the keeper's entrance to Black Bear Exhibit. Don't worry, Mikey is very careful around the animals that he loves so. He waited for the turtle to safely cross the path before proceeding.

There were many reports of turtles out and about during the past few weeks.

Ranger Sara showing excitement over seeing a Yellow-bellied Slider who was headed for the Wetlands after her egg laying trip in Catch the Wind.

"What's up wit dat?"

Kristin gets a quick shot with her phone.

Legend has it that this big yellow-bellied (Chip) was hit by the Museum train many years ago as she was walking the grounds searching for a suitable nest site.

A close view of "Chip's" damaged shell.

Here's the same turtle back in March of this year. She's the only turtle in the Wetlands that can be reliably identified on a consistent basis.

So, with all of the turtles climbing out of the water to look for nest sites, please be careful and respectful when you see them while you navigate the paths and trails of the Museum. I know that you will.

Note: The turtles above that Kristin and Sara are observing/photographing, and that I photographed, were headed back to the water after completing their missions, egg laying. If you see a turtle on or beside the path, or one that is obviously laying eggs, please leave it be. These water turtles sometimes walk great distances and cross difficult terrain to find nest sites and if disturbed will abandon their mission, even after digging a hole in which to lay her eggs. This is at a great physical cost to them. I photographed the painted turtle at a distance with a telephoto lens while hiding behind a recycling bin so as not to harass the turtle as it covered up its eggs.

This was the first basking turtle of the season in the Museum's Wetland habitat. It's a Yellow-bellied Slider (1/28/11).

An Eastern Painted Turtle enjoys the warm afternoon on a rock in the Wetlands (2/2/11).

The yellow-bellied Slider (above) was up and about due to the unusually warm 60˚ weather. The temps slid down to the near normal 40˚s for the next several days and the turtles went back under cover.

Four turtles vie for space on these exposed snags at the back of the Wetlands (2/2/11).

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Today (2/2), it’s supposed to climb to 70 degrees. There are currently half-a-dozen or so turtles basking on rocks and logs of the Wetlands.

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It’s a great day to be outside, and that’s where I’m headed!

After having dug a hole with her hind legs, a Yellow-bellied Turtle (Slider) deposits her eggs along the path between the entrance to Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind.

Museum staff often encounter Yellow-bellied Turtles walking down the paved path in Explore the Wild or Catch the Wind while they (the turtles) are heading for the Wetlands after depositing their 4-12 eggs (snapping turtles usually lay from 20-30 eggs).

The double dotted lines on the pavement were made by a Yellow-bellied Turtle heading back into the Wetlands.

Sometimes the turtles are disturbed before they can lay their eggs, leaving an empty hole.

This is the hole dug by the turtle which left the tracks in the above photo. She was obviously disturbed before she could complete her mission. The hole was directly behind the bench.

There were raccoon tracks leading to, and away from, the hole in the above photo, so perhaps it was a raccoon that sent the turtle back to the water prematurely.

Sometimes a hole is dug, but not covered.

This set of eggs was left partially uncovered. I covered the eggs after photographing them, but found the nest dug up and void of eggs a few days later. I suspect that whatever caused the turtle to abandon this nest (with eggs already in it) had to be a significant disturbance.

Snapping Turtles have been up and about too.

A Common Snapping Turtle getting a breath of fresh air, and having a quick peek around the Wetlands before hauling out.

One hapless snapper was apparently wedged under a fence near the back entrance gate to the Butterfly House. The turtle was liberated with the help of “Deputy Rangers,” Dale, Al, and Cliff (Facilities Technicians Dale Hill, Al Gustafson, and Cliffton B. Hayes).

Good work men!

This snapping turtle was rescued and later sent on her way on the 15th of May after having been stuck under a fence. Snapping turtles have very long necks, powerful jaw muscles, and lightening fast reflexes, so don't try to pick one of these guys up unless you know exactly what you're in for.

On the gentler side of turtledom, there have been many Yellow-bellied Sliders and other Testudines out basking in the Wetlands.

This miniature Painted Turtle is sunning on a log next to the boardwalk in Explore the Wild.

An Eastern Musk Turtle, or stinkpot as they're sometimes called, rests on a willow branch. They've been know to climb 6 feet up in a tree.

The first “new” American Toad of the season was seen on 15 May.

No longer a tadpole, this very tiny American Toad was seen hopping along in the leaf litter near the Lemur House. Note the pine needles for size comparison.

Eastern Narrowmouth Toads (Gastrophryne carolinensis) were heard in the Wetlands during the Butterfly Bash of 15 May. Don’t expect to see these very secretive and small (1-1.5″) toads, I’ve only seen two here at the Museum and both were young and fresh out of the water. They were both seen in July and were less than 3/8″ in length. But, who knows, you may get lucky, so keep an eye out. Have a look and listen here.

Gray Treefrogs have been calling with more frequency this month. Although they’re not as easily seen as they are heard, thunderstorms and rain bring them out in numbers.

This Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) probably thinks that I can't see it. It could easily be mistaken for a patch of lichen.

This Gray Treefrog may need to rethink its hiding strategy, it's quite obvious on the railing of the boardwalk leading down into the Wetlands.

And get a load of this little guy…

This little frog was seen on the pavement in Explore the Wild. It was hopping around in circles, apparently trying to stay off of the hot pavement in the 90º heat of the day. This peewee amphibian looks to be a Spring Peeper on its very first adventure out of the water.

A snake.

Early in the month, a young Northern Water Snake (approx. 10"-12") was observed on a lotus pad on the north side of the Wetlands.

Could the young water snake in the photo be the same one that was rescued from the Bear House back in April? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s good to see that our water snakes are successfully breeding.

And finally, a skink.

A Ground Skink (Scincella lateralis) missing part of its tail. These skinks reach a length of about 6 inches, this one's currently about 3.5 inches.

The skink in the photo must have had a run-in with a bird or some other predator, better to lose your tail than your life. Like most lizards, this lucky skink’s tail will grow back.

I’ve seen half a dozen or so Ground Skinks in the past week, most were quickly wiggling across the pavement to the safety of the grassy edge. Elsewhere, they are most often seen, or heard, as they scurry away in the leaf litter as you walk along a woodland trail.

Get out and have a look around yourself, and let me know what you see.

An American Toad fresh from the woods surrounding the Wetlands.

A toad crosses the path headed for the water to seek a mate and fertilize or lay eggs. They spend the major portion of their time in a more terrestrial habitat.

The toads began to move down into the Wetlands in numbers during the last week in March, crossing the pavement and massing on the north side of the water amongst the willows and rushes.

Once the toads reach the water the males find a prominent perch from which to call out to the rest of the toad world proclaiming their availability.

A toad belts out its long rolling, trill of a song from a log in the Wetlands.

Many students, here at the Museum on field trips or spring break, were able to get very close looks at the toads.

A student reaches down to touch the warty skin of an American Toad (wash your hands before eating).

The toads had also put on a show in the Black Bear Exhibit, calling and mating in the pool just below the main Black Bear Overlook.

American Toads in the bear pool.

The arrow points to a string of eggs trailing from the pair of toads.

Northern Cricket Frogs (Acris crepitans) are also on the scene. I’d been seeing a few of these tiny frogs throughout March, but their numbers have increased considerably this past week. I even heard a few making their “click, click, click” call yesterday afternoon (4/1) as I stood on the boardwalk searching for their extremely well camouflaged forms in the mud alongside the Wetlands.

Can you find the Northern Cricket Frogs in this picture?

For perspective, the cricket frog on the left is sitting on pine needles. There is a sycamore seed just in front of the frog on the right. And, the floating yellow-green objects are duckweed. These are small frogs!

A newly hatched Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) makes it way to the Wetlands.

Turtles? Yes, turtles have made the news this week too. Besides all of the adult and immature turtles out basking on rocks and logs in the Wetlands, there were hatchlings making their way to the water for the first time.

A child's hand dwarfs this very young (perhaps just minutes old) painted turtle.

The hatchling painted turtle makes its final descent into the Wetlands.

School children were thrilled by the turtle’s ability to seek out and navigate to the water after having just hatched.

School children watch with excitement as the tiny turtle makes its way to the water after having crossed the wide pavement in Explore the Wild.

And finally, a Black Racer (Coluber constrictor) captivated many onlookers as it crawled through the low branches of the willows in the Wetlands, swam through the water (sending bullfrogs airborne), and finally crossed over the path.

A Black Racer swims the waters of the Wetlands much to the dismay of the amphibian residents.

The racer peeks up over the grass to see if the way is clear for the open crossing of the path in Explore the Wild.

Onlookers had to be held back so that the snake could make its way across the pavement and into the swamp next to the Black Bear Enclosure.

Hesitant to cross with the twenty some onlookers watching, the snake finally made its way across after some five minutes of, what seemd to be, serious consideration.

Cheered on by the many onlookers, the snake safely crosses the path.

I can’t wait to see what turns up next!

Sure, it was colder than usual the first two months of this year. And, it seems as though it has snowed more this year than within memory. It’s predicted to snow today!

A recent snow in the Wetlands.

But, there’s much evidence pointing to a new season springing forth. The days are getting longer. Both the maples and elms are ready to burst open their buds and Hazel Alder is nearly in full flower.

Elm buds, swollen and ready to bring forth flowers.

The sun is coming up earlier and setting later. Chorus Frogs and Spring Peepers are calling and Pickerel Frogs have been seen slowly moving about the landscape. More and more turtles are coming out to bask in the afternoon sun, both Yellow-bellied Sliders and Painted Turtles.

Two Yellow-bellied and one Painted Turtle come out to bask in the afternoon sun.

I saw a solitary wasp in a sunny spot of the trail in Catch the Wind and a paper wasp flew by me in the Wetlands.

On my drive in to the Museum recently I saw two different Red-tailed Hawks carrying nesting material. The two Brown-headed Nuthatches that were digging a hole in a Loblolly Pine in Catch the Wind at the beginning of this month are at it again, this time on the opposite side of the same tree.

A Brown-headed Nuthatch digs yet another hole in a pine branch. Apparently the first hole didn't meet the standards of its prospective mate.

Listen for the nuthatch’s squeaky-toy calls in the pines as you walk around throughout the outdoor areas of the Museum.

Northern Cardinals have been singing for the past month and, according to Exhibits Tech David, one was seen carrying nesting material last week. I heard the first singing Red-winged Blackbird of the season on the 19th of February. Tufted Titmice are singing their clear-whistled, repetitive notes. Pine Warblers are in song. And, I heard a Song Sparrow briefly trying out its repertoire of rolling trills.

A small band of some two dozen Cedar Waxwings attempted to storm the small hollies next to the Ornithopter for their berries. The Leonardo da Vinci inspired ride in Catch the Wind was too much for the little waxwings; its huge white wings flapping back and forth next to the hollies kept the birds at bay.

A Cedar Waxwing patiently waits for the Ornithopter's wings to stop before alighting on the holly bushes below. Note the red markings on the bird's wing, like tiny drops of red wax.

These waxwings arrived four days earlier than last year’s nomadic troop of over 400 that descended on the hollies growing next to the main Museum Building.

Purple Martins have been observed within our borders. These birds are early arrivals, for sure, but the rest of their species is definitely on its way north.

From this point on things will move quickly. New arrivals from the south will appear, fresh new leaves will begin to emerge, snakes, insects…I can’t wait!

Yellow-bellied Turtles continue to come ashore to lay eggs. The one pictured was alongside the path in front of the Lemur House. Following the downpours on Memorial Day, a Painted Turtle was spied crossing the paved path headed towards the Wetlands, presumably on its way back from laying eggs.

Before and during the heavy showers which came through on Memorial Day the treefrogs were in full chorus. Many of them could be seen hopping across the path as the rains came tumbling down.

On May 25 while staring down into the water of the Wetlands I noticed dozens of small frog eyes popping up out of the dense algae growing along the shore. Upon closer inspection I realized that I was looking at frogs in transition. These were small frogs and each had both front and back legs. Some had tails still attached, others a mark where a tail had been, but none seemed to be fully developed frogs and still had many of the markings and coloration of tadpoles. While I can’t be sure, they looked to be Green Frogs.

The first Snapping Turtles of the season appeared on March 8 as one large individual was seen foraging in the shallow water on the north side of the Wetlands and another much smaller member of the species was seen near the Wetlands Overlook. A large snapper was seen basking on one of the stumps in the open water of the Wetlands on the ninth day of the month.

American Toads have been calling continuously from the water near the smaller of the two Wetlands Overlooks, on the north side of the Wetlands. Although most of the toad activity had been concentrated in the northeast corner of the Wetlands, their loud, musical trill could be heard throughout. The toads were mating. One pair was seen mating in the U-shaped pond at Flap the Wings next to the Ornithopter, with long strings of eggs trailing behind the busied duo. Several of these strings of eggs were seen in the pond, presumably produced by this pair. Keep in mind, one female American Toad can lay as many as 6,000 eggs in a season. That’s a lot of eggs!

Upland Chorus Frogs, Spring Peepers, Pickerel Frogs, and Bullfrogs were also out in force. Pickerel Frogs seemed to be concentrated in the northwest corner of the Wetlands, although it may have been that their low, snore-like calls were not as obvious in other parts of the Wetlands, being drowned out by the much louder toads. However, I did have better luck actually seeing Pickerel Frogs (many of them) among the willows, and in the grass, at the northwest corner of the Wetlands.

Bullfrogs breed throughout the warm months. I’ve yet to hear their deep, throaty calls in the Wetlands this season. No need to rush things, they have all summer to breed. The other four amphibians mentioned above are strictly late winter to early spring breeders, and there’s an urgency to their activities. Why breed so early in the season, and what’s the hurry? Perhaps they get a jump on the other frogs and toads in our area (nine other species have been documented in the Wetlands) by breeding early in the season at a time when spring rains assure that there will be enough water for them to breed in. The species that are currently breeding have a relatively short life cycle. From egg to adult frog (or toad) is often only a few months’ time. These frogs and toads have to find a mate, lay eggs, and the tadpoles that hatch from the eggs have to metamorphose into frogs (or toads) all before the ephemeral pools of water that they tend to breed in dry up for the summer, which is often the case. So, it’s to their advantage to get it done quickly. Their adult lives are most often spent away from water.

Another advantage to breeding early in the season may be that there are fewer snakes about in late winter and early spring; I haven’t seen a water snake in the Wetlands yet this season. Given the large number of frogs and toads presently milling about in the water, their frog and toad minds focused on little more than procreation, a snake would do well at this time of year.

The frogs and toads must, nonetheless, be wary of predators. On one occasion, I noticed a Red-shouldered Hawk perched in a tree just above the point of heaviest toad activity in the Wetlands, the hawk’s eyes trained on the frenzied movement below. I think, though, that the hawk would be wise to devote its efforts to the capture of Bullfrogs instead: toads secrete a poison from their warts and parotoid glands (the large bumps behind each eye) which is reported to be unpalatable to those that would eat the toads. Perhaps that’s why there was a partially eaten toad floating in the water at that location later the same day.

Pickerel Frog’s skin also secretes a toxic substance which may make them unappetizing to predators. Both the American Toad’s and Pickerel Frog’s distasteful condition may help to explain why the Red-shouldered Hawks, who had spent a good part of the winter months fishing Bullfrogs out of the swamp across from the main Wetlands Overlook, are not helping themselves to the apparent amphibian buffet currently laid out before them. I’ve only seen the Red-shouldered Hawk hunting in the Wetlands on one occasion since the amphibian breeding season began.

The breeding frenzy nearly came to a halt with the coming of the relatively cool rains of the last several days of this period.

A Painted Turtle and a couple of Yellow-bellied Turtles were out basking in the bright sunshine of the 29th of January.