At least one snapping turtle and a bunch of Yellow-bellied sliders enjoy the afternoon on what is apparently every body's favorite rocks. Basking perches can be at a premium on sunny days.

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.

First, a few plants.

Field Pansy (Viola arvensis) is not a native plant but it is quite attractive. This tiny flower is easily observed near the entrance to the Red Wolf Enclosure.

Another viola, or violet, growing near the Lemur House. This flower seems to be a color variation of the native Common Blue Violet (Viola papilionacea).

A non-native flowering plant, Indian Strawberry (Duchesnea indica) can be seen along the path in Explore the Wild and Catch the Wind. The word Indian in its common name refers to country on the Asian Subcontinent, the plant's origin.

A few trees.

Just about to burst open in all its glory, this Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is native from Canada to Florida.

Red Maple which put on a show for us at the begining of March is now showing both seeds and leaves.

Finally! After having seen damselflies emerge from the Wetlands since the 19th of March I was able to get a photo of one, a Fragile Forktail, another “punctuation mark” insect.

This male Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita) was perched on a boulder alongside the path near Catch the Wind. Note the green exclamation point on its thorax.

Reptiles made themselves more available for viewing in the past week as well. Since March 10th when I saw the first Common Snapping Turtle of the season they have been out foraging in the shallows and even basking on the boulders of the Wetlands.

A Common Snapping Turtle on the small rock and a yellow-bellied Turtle on the boulder.

Northern Water Snakes disappeared for a couple of days due to cool weather, but came back out of hiding towards the end of this week.

A Northern Water Snake on a prostrate Black Willow in the Wetlands (its head is to the left).

Later in the day, another water snake joined the first.

A juvenile Northern Water Snakes slides across the path in Explore the Wild during Robot Rumble (3/20).

And finally, many birds have been busy with mating and nesting activities. On at least two different days I watched a male Belted Kingfisher fly wildly around the Wetlands, splashing in the water after fish (usually unsuccessfully) then fly over to the female, who had been observing this behavior, and mate with her.

A crow carries off a small branch to its nest.

A crow was seen plucking a twig from the upper branches of a tree and carry it off to its nest.

Anyone willing to hazard a guess as to which crow this is, American Crow or Fish Crow? I heard it calling as it went about its business, so I already know. Not fair, of course, and I don’t think that I could tell which crow it was from this picture, but I’d be happy to entertain your educated guesses.

Several large Yellow-bellied Turtles (Sliders) out basking.

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 spotted enjoying the brief bit of sun.

A young Yellow-bellied Turtle soaking up some sun.

This large Common Snapping Turtle hauled itself out on a rock for what may be its last chance at "catching some rays" till next spring.

The last few days of September and first couple of days of October brought many young treefrogs emerging for the first time from the water of both the Wetlands and the U-shaped pond at Flap the Wings in Catch the Wind. These newly morphed frogs were mostly Gray Treefrogs and quite small.

Fresh from the pond, this young Gray Treefrog rests on Pickerelweed. You can still see a trace of its tadpole tail on its rear.

Gray Treefrogs are variable in color, but notice the white mark under the eye, a good field mark for this species.

Several other, slightly older, Gray Treefrogs were also seen. Still only half grown, they had already begun to take on the characteristics of adult frogs.

During the same period, young Green Treefrogs, which had been easy to find for most of the summer, began to move away from the Wetlands. They were often seen on leaves, small branches, and even sign posts, far from water, sometimes in small groups. Towards the middle of the month, they were a bit more difficult to locate.

A young Green Treefrog clings to the branch of a small shrub some distance from the Wetlands.

Two small Green Treefrogs sharing space near the Lemur House.

Perching space is sometimes at a premium.

Red-shouldered Hawk scans the water below for a careless frog to make a move.

Bullfrogs are more difficult to find as the season moves along. However, the local Red-shouldered Hawk keeps a sharp eye out for any frogs that do make an appearance. On your next stroll around the Wetlands, keep an eye out for the hawk. If you see it perched in a tree, its head bobbing this-way-and-that trying to zero in on even the slightest movement below, stop and watch a while, you may be lucky enough to see it snatch a frog out of the water and carry it off to eat.

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.

On the morning of November 1st, a Northern Water Snake was seen in the grass at the foot of the boardwalk where the boardwalk descends into the Wetlands. There’s often a large water snake basking there, although the sun had yet to climb high enough to reach the particular spot where the snake had chosen to lay. The snake appeared to be the same individual as is often seen there. It looked to be rather gaunt, much thinner than when previously observed. It was later seen coiled on a stump a dozen or so feet from the main Wetlands Overlook, this time in the sunshine. Many Museum guests were able to get photos of the snake.

The first of the month brought out Pickerel Frogs. I saw several on the paved path around the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind Loop. They were obviously on the move and going somewhere, although they seemed to be going there very slowly. They were easy to catch and when released after my having a look at the ventral surface of their thighs (which are yellow in Pickerel Frog and not yellow in a look-alike species, the Leopard Frog), the frogs hopped away without the usual zing in their hop.

I saw a young Snapping Turtle (4-5 inches from front to back of shell) hurrying along the bottom and through the aquatic vegetation of the Wetlands as if on some urgent business. A few days later, while standing at the same vantage point on the boardwalk in front of the main Black Bear Overlook, I saw a large individual doing just the opposite. No hurry here. In two hours time it had moved perhaps ten feet! Out of sight, its presence revealed by the subtle movement of the vegetation and tiny air bubbles rising up from below. Occasionally the turtle stretched out its long neck and took a deep breath of air, its massive head poking up through the vegetation. Its nostrils alone breaking the water’s surface.

There have been so many young Bullfrogs floating out in the water off of the boardwalk that it’s no wonder that the Museum’s rather healthy population of Northern Water Snakes has been particularly active lately. I’ve received many reports from Museum staff and guests of snakes stalking the frogs. I’ve also witnessed it myself. They’ve put on quite a show. I even saw one chase after a small Yellow-bellied Turtle. Turtles can move rather quickly when they feel the need!

Following the morning showers of August 10, Green Treefrogs of all sizes seemed to be everywhere in the vegetation along the north side of the Wetlands. Many Museum guests got to see the frogs, even a few “brown” Green Treefrogs. Days before, I plucked one of these brown-colored Green Treefrogs from the Sailboat Pond after a Museum guest spied it swimming on the bottom of the pond. I’ve only seen young “brown” Green Treefrogs, no adults.

I saw a Stinkpot, or Eastern Musk Turtle, poking its head out from under a log in the Wetlands. They have a musky odor to them. While very common, I’ve personally only seen one in the Wetlands. Others have been reported by staff at the Museum. These small turtles tend to stick close to the bottom. Curiously, they have been found dozing as much as 6 feet up in trees along the edges of ponds and slow moving rivers! Good climbers.

A rather large Snapping Turtle sauntered across the path at the base of the boardwalk at High Noon on the 14th of July. I hadn’t seen a Snapper in several weeks.

Bullfrogs are becoming more obvious out in the relatively “open” water of the Wetlands, away from the heavy cover of the edges of the water. Their bright green heads are often visible just above the surface as they float motionless in the water. Look for both the large “old bulls” as well as the many smaller “newly morphed” young frogs from the boardwalk, just before you get to the Black Bear Enclosure.