I had just pulled out of my driveway the other morning when I saw what I thought was a small bag of trash lying in the street ahead. But then I wasn’t sure what it was. And then as I passed it I could see: it was a large turtle!
I got out of the car to look it over. Its shell was at least a foot and a half long. I’ve lived here seven years and have never seen one in the neighborhood, so I was very curious where this one had come from. Perhaps she lived in the golf community behind my subdivision, as there are man-made ponds there. But where could she be going? My neighborhood is dry. Crooked Creek is about a mile away in the direction she was pointed, but a heavily traveled road lay between here and there, and she would find that to be a tricky crossing at best.
She didn’t look very happy to meet me, so I snapped a couple quick shots with my iPhone and moved on. I’m always glad I have my iPhone in my pocket – it’s a good-enough camera, always ready.
I don’t know one turtle from another, so I turned to Google, which leads me to believe this is a snapping turtle. Their reputation for ill temperament helps me not take her standoffishness personally.
In the same week, two people I follow on Facebook shared photos of similar turtles the found out and about. So it must have been a time for turtles to be on the move, perhaps for the females to lay their eggs.
Then there was the time I found a Luna moth. See it here.
