Tag Archives: Snapping Turtle
At this time of year many turtles are moving up to dry land to lay eggs. They turn up in the most peculiar of places in their quest for the perfect spot in which to dig a hole and lay their eggs (According to Ornithopter Operator, John Hammons, a Yellow-bellied Slider was found on the [...]
During the past week many new flowers, animals and insects have appeared. First, a few plants. A few trees. Finally! After having seen damselflies emerge from the Wetlands since the 19th of March I was able to get photo of one, a Fragile Forktail, another “punctuation mark” insect. Reptiles made themselves more available for viewing in [...]
Posted in Birds, Flora, Insects and Other Arthropods, Reptiles and Amphibians, Spring | Also tagged American Crow, field pansy, Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita), indian strawberry, Northern Water Snake, Red Maple, Redbud, viola, violet, Yellow-bellied Turtle
The first couple of weeks in October were rather cloudy and wet. Whenever the sun did show itself, the turtles of the Wetlands took advantage of it by hauling out and basking in its warm rays. Young and old alike were out on all available perches. Mostly Yellow-bellied Turtles, but even a large snapper was [...]
Posted in Fall, Reptiles and Amphibians | Also tagged basking, Bullfrog, explore the wild, Fall, Gray Treefrog, Green Treefrog, Red-shouldered Hawk, slider, wetlands, Yellow-bellied Turtle
By the end of the first week of this period the Wetland’s turtles, frogs, and toads were out in numbers. Yellow-bellied Turtles and Painted Turtles were basking on logs, rocks and any other object projecting from the water, with little room to spare. The young Yellow-bellied Turtle in the image at left (perhaps a two-year-old) [...]
A Snapping Turtle was rescued from the horseshoe shaped pond at Flap the Wings in Catch the Wind next to the Ornithopter. The turtle had found itself into the water filter basket of the pond, with no easy way out. This very young Snapping Turtle, only about 1.75 inches from the front of the shell [...]
In a previous Journal entry (Explore the Wild Journal, July 1-15) I mentioned having seen a Stinkpot, or Eastern Musk Turtle, in the Wetlands. I also mentioned that they’ve been known to climb trees, as high as 6 feet up. On August 3rd I saw one in a Willow about 50 feet off the Wetlands [...]
The first week of this period brought daily thunderstorms towards the end of each day. Before each day’s rain, Gray and Green Tree Frogs and Narrow-mouthed Toads began calling from the dense cover surrounding the Wetlands. While it’s difficult to impossible to actually see it happening, many new eggs were being deposited in the Wetlands [...]
Young turtles continue to be seen from both the boardwalk and the Wetlands Overlook. No longer the silver dollar-sized individuals of a few months ago, the turtles appear to be growing quickly on the abundant food in the Wetlands. When not basking out on a log, these little Yellow-bellied Turtles are either eating or looking [...]
Over the past few weeks adult turtles have been seen walking across the paved path in both Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild. Adult turtles in our area, with the exception of Eastern Box Turtles, which are terrestrial, may be on land for several reasons. They may be looking for a better food source, [...]
Cricket Frogs, Bullfrogs, and Gray Tree Frogs are calling. Occasionally, a Green Frog will pluck in with its twangy, single-note call. At least four Green Tree Frogs were seen along the path between the Lemur house and Catch the Wind. Look for them low on the vegetation along the raised banks on either side of [...]
May Herpetological Happenings