Turtle Tracks

This will be the last post about my trip to the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Did I save the best for last? You decide. This turtle was bookin’ it! I had just started up the road from the cabin, and a pair of turtles came out of the brush and practically raced across the road. I could barely get a shot, so I finally just kept my camera still and let the turtle cross through the frame. This animation is the best photo series, because apparently the so-called “slow” turtle was moving so fast that many of the “action” shots were blurry.

Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis)

The Three-toed Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) is named for the number of toes on its hind feet (I know, you can’t see the toes in the photo). I’ve spent way too much time looking for a turtle or herpetological link to use as a reference. I found plenty, but it was hard to find one that does not support or affiliate itself with the pet trade in some way [long pause while I go back and look some more]. I may have found a group of organizations which appear to be dedicated to the preservation and conservation of turtles and other herps. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has commissioned a network of volunteer experts called the Species Survival Commission:

The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) is a science-based network of some 7,500 volunteer experts from almost every country of the world, all working together towards achieving the vision of, “A world that values and conserves present levels of biodiversity.”

This commission. in turn, has specialist groups for different groups of animals. The IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group (TFTSG) appears to be dedicated to helping the world’s wild turtle populations and ecosystems, and supports captive breeding for species preservation – not the pet trade (at least, that is what it seems like after spending a lot of time reading). There are more links at the websites I’ve provided, each leading to similarly described efforts, notably, the Turtle Conservancy. WHY do I do this? I guess it is because I care, and I just can’t help myself!

Young Three-toed Box Turtle (?)

These two turtles were traveling together, this one following the first. This one was a little smaller, has different facial coloring, and red eyes instead of yellow. I’m guessing that this is the same kind of turtle, maybe younger, or just exhibiting variance in the species.

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turtle track

I would love to learn and share about this big, cool bug, but I’m out of time. If anyone knows more about this fella, please share! I’m guessing this is one of the True Bugs, but I can’t say for sure.

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Gray Squirrel

This is the first time I have seen a squirrel that isn’t reddish-brown. He’s probably an Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). He was definitely keeping an eye on me – an eye which had some sort of growth:

Gray Squirrel with growth on eye

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pretty wildflower

This flower really caught my eye – it truly was this blue and vibrant. I can’t take the time to try to identify it – I sure hope that this is a native plant. Isn’t it just gorgeous?

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beetle on Queen Anne's Lace

I saw this beetle from the middle of the road because it really stood out on the bright white Queen Anne’s Lace (non-native). I thought it was just one beetle, then it turned around:

TWO beetles

I was surprised to see that this was actually two beetles, ahem, procreating. Seems like very often when I see insects, this is what they are doing…so it is kind of hard to avoid scenes like this if you want any pictures [starting to blush].

better look at the love-beetles

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Finally, I’ll close with a picture of a really awesome thunderstorm that blew through one morning. We watched it all from the deck, sipping on coffee.

thunderstorm from the deck