Two Beautiful Gifts

I was checking a small pond near the main wetland for signs of life yesterday— it had been nearly dry a couple weeks ago, but new rain had given the tadpoles and other aquatic animals there a fresh chance. I was traveling last week and wondered what the status was now. There was water but not much moving around in it— maybe it had gone completely dry last week before more recent rain filled it again? Then I saw thIs beautiful little painted turtle hatchling (Chrysemys picta) surface for air. It spotted me the same time I spotted it and dove to the bottom and scurried into the mud. The water, however, was not deep and I easily found it for a brief photoshoot.*  I was on my way with It to take pictures when I noticed at the edge of the same pond the lovely little common watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) pictured below.The shell of the painted turtle was just a bit larger than a quarter, clearly one that had emerged from its nest only recently. (I don’t know if the mud residue on his shell is from the nest or more recent.) The little watersnake was approximately 9” long and almost certainly born late last summer. I took their pictures and returned them to the pond I found them in.I don’t know the survival rates for these two species, but typically the mortality rate is highest in the early months and years of life.  Nevertheless, these two beautiful creatures, so full of life, were a gift to me yesterday, and the world is a better place for the wonder and beauty they bring.

* I most often, as you have seen if you’re following this blog, photograph animals as found in their natural habitats. However, I keep a whitebox on hand in my car for occasional “portraits” like those above to better highlight the uniqueness and beauty of the creatures we live with. This is done as efficiently as possible on location and they are released where they were found.