Hot Heat and Soft Shell. 8-8-2026 and 8-12-2026

That Saturday was going to be a scorcher and we had no clue what we wanted to do. Of course, getting out early didn't happen and we knew we'd have to get to a place with turtles because by this time, snakes would not be happening. We chose one of the new (to us) places that we'd successfully reconned in July, with the idea of hiking then looking at the antique and thrift places in the area.

Happily, the first sight we had was a Snapper who seemed to pop up to say hi, then come over and swim past us in a patch of sunlight, giving us a beautiful look at its prehistoric majesty. Here is its snout, the only picture I took of it.

(Sometimes you just have to watch and enjoy nature, not worry about "getting the shot". I regret nothing!)

Other than that, there were a few Painted Turtles up basking but they didn't stay up too long in the beating sun. It was hot. The swimming guy had the right idea.

Our favorite part of the hike was a shaded bench in the woods overlooking the water. Peace, tranquility and distant turtles. This shot shows a half dozen up basking with a young drake Wood Duck hanging out behind them.

One more Painter on the day.

So no, we didn't see a ton but we had the chance to get out and enjoy nature, see some turtles and immerse ourselves in the greenery of the woods. And in the heat. We were sweaty messes by the time we hit the antique places. No worries. Our money was still accepted, damp though it may have been.

During the week, Andrea alerted me to a photo taken at a nearby pond. Someone had photographed a Softshell, a species of turtle not native to these parts. We've heard of single specimens popping up in the state, all of them obviously released pets, but never this close to us. Sadly, the pond where this turtle supposedly is isn't the most fruitful hike. We have walked it before and noticed a dearth of basking spots. Still, I wanted to give it a shot so on Wednesday the 12th, I took it upon myself to scout the pond again.

I noticed the same thing. Very few spots for turtles to get up and bask. Finally, Three quarters of the way around, I saw a rock protruding from the water and photographed it to compare to the Softshell picture online.

Wow, has Hit Me With Your Nature Stick resorted to posting pictures of empty rocks?!

I saw a stick out beyond that rock that looked like it might have a Painted Turtle up on it but it was too far away for me to get a decent shot. Then I looked back at that rock. Not two minutes had passed since I took the empty rock photo but there was something there now. And it was flat and had a pointy nose.

That is indeed a Softshell. Now, I can't call it a lifer because it isn't native fauna but it is the first Spiny Softshell I have ever seen in the wild. (You can see the tubercules along the front edge of the carapace, thus my ID.)

This is the Painter that had me standing there for a whole two minutes, assuring my sighting.

That spot was hopping now! Add in a Painted Turtle.

And another!

Needless to say, mission accomplished. I felt bad seeing it without Andrea but now that I knew where it likes to hang out, I could get to it quickly on a subsequent visit.

After her work on Friday, at about 3 PM, we went over in hopes of her getting a chance to see the Softshell. Unfortunately, a resident Mute Swan had claimed the rock for itself. 

Oh well... we'll try again this summer. Hopefully, all of the turtles in the pond will be happy and healthy until we see them again.

Two Green Frogs and Two First-of-Years. August 1st and 2nd, 2026

One long trip, one short trip for the weekend, which was supposed to be rain-free and sunny. We'd had a deluge of rain on the Thursday before the weekend so things wouldn't be too dry. I made the executive decision to head into Middlesex County to have another try at Wood Turtles. I'd hoped to check out a supposed snake spot near it as well but we just didn't get in gear in enough time, so we headed straight to the Wood spot. If you can call it that. We hadn't actually seen one there (or anywhere else in Massachusetts) since September of 2020. In fact, our last sighting was on a trip to Pennsylvania in May of 2021! To say we were overdue is an understatement.

So, we got there at about 8:30 AM and noted that the river was pretty deep and churning thanks to the recent rain. After about 5 feet from the shore, all visibility was gone. The next spot was a bit better, but we saw nothing. So, we hit the trails to look around for snakes or any Woods that might have been on land. In a vernal pool that had water again (it was dry on our visit last month), a small Green Frog was bathing.

But that was it for quite some time. We explored a few new trails and off-trails but didn't see anything. Also, in the wooded areas, it was 259% humidity and in the sun, it was boiling. We started to realize that our chances here were looking pretty slim. We headed back towards the car, intent on heading out to another spot on the same river system. I went down to peek into the river again while Andrea rested. I stood there watching the water, the tiny whirlpools that formed in the current, and just enjoying nature when I saw a white rectangle move under the water. It caught my eye and then I noticed it was on a turtle. A Wood! 

Evidently, it is tagged. We watched it for quite a while, standing there sweating and hoping to find an angle where I could get a better shot. The above is as good as I could get and it was going to have to suffice. I was tempted to jump in after it (mostly because I was so hot!) but that just isn't me, and it would have skittered off anyway.

A small Green Frog jumped in front of me while I was watching the unmoving turtle!

Patience is a virtue and while we were watching it, it came up for air. Hmm... I hadn't thought about that!

It stayed there clutching the log for quite a while, it's butt swaying in the current. We knew we were having a huge amount of good fortune. Boy did it feel good to see a Wood Turtle again!

It was about ten or fifteen feet away from us but we didn't seem to be bothering it. It did look over at us a few times, though.

Well, you can't beat that. Our first Massachusetts Wood in 5 1/2 years. (We hadn't looked for them every year, but we did try a number of times during that stretch.) We got to the car, cranked the AC and drove for a while to another spot. Andrea wasn't handling the heat as well as I was, so she stayed put while I took a short hike down to the river. The river is far below in many spots here and with no decent way to descend (decent descent?), I had to pass it by.

I did make it down to the water's edge in one spot but everything that looked like a turtle or frog... wasn't. I headed back and got lost in the woods for about 20 minutes, getting back to the car red-faced, sweaty and tired. That was the day for us. We hit a few antique stores on the way home.

That one was our "far" ride, though it didn't eat up a ton of gas. But I still had to keep it nearby for Sunday. It dawned on me that we hadn't visited the Boston Lizard spot for a few years. Our last encounter with Massachusetts' only lizards, the Italian Wall Lizard, was in May, 2023. We were overdue and, frankly, curious to see how (if?) the lizards survived this past rough Winter. We slept in, knowing that our targets love it hot, so we let the sun come up and stay up.

These squamates are found only in one small spot and it's right there in Boston. They're in a garden area but getting to the spot isn't my kind of nature walk. Parking is horrible in Boston and we had to walk seven or eight blocks until we got near their domain. It was unpleasant.

But once we got there, it became very beautiful. Flowers, plants, gardens... and lizards. We saw quite a few darting through the compost piles. I was reminded how tough it was to photograph them. Finally, I got proof of their existence.

Getting deeper into the garden area, we started to see them on rocks. All sizes, including very small ones. Obviously, breeding new generations hasn't been a problem. Nor was last Winter.

The gardens are home to many bugs as well. This gaggle of Red Aphids is munching on a stem as the stem cries out for some Ladybug help.

But yeah... lizards. Lots and lots of lizards. We talked to a few people who had gardens there and they are all happy with them, eating bugs and such, and one guy even said when he steps in, they come out to look him over. "Whatchoo doin' in my garden?"

It was another pretty hot day. How hot? Hot enough to make a bunny lay down like this.

Here's a tiny guy... probably born last year. All noggin. I suspect those mulch piles are the nesting spots as well as the hibernation sites.

Last photo of the weekend... a Tiger Bee Fly.

So there's our weekend. No snakes but a nice reacquaintance with two species that it had been too long since we'd last seen. And two Green Frogs. And I hit Monday with over a quarter tank of gas. Yee Haw!

Painters, Flutterbies and Coppertops. July 25th and 26th, 2026

Faced with a weekend with excellent weather for both days (70s/80s and sunny), we had to decide on one far and one close hiking trip thanks to astronomical gas prices. I'd been wanting to get back to the big pond in Plymouth County and made the executive decision to go there. We hauled out of bed early and got there at a respectable time. Too early? No, but it was pretty cool in the shade.

We decided to forgo the woods and head straight to the open trails. The bogs had plenty of water but the sun wasn't yet hitting right for the Spotted Turtles so perhaps we were too early. We didn't see a critter until nearly a mile in when this Painted Turtle let me photograph it.

That was very nice of him.

There were a lot of flowers around the bogs and they were attracting bees and butterflies. These two species were within a few feet of each other... a Viceroy:

and a Pearl Crescent.

From out of nowhere, we heard some very loud squawks and looked up to see a pair of Sandhill Cranes (#70) flying overhead. This species is what got us to this spot all those years ago and this is only the second time I've gotten a photograph. Thanks for the heads up, boids!!

The day was all about Painted Turtles. Before too long, they were everywhere.

We'd heard Bullfrogs and Green Frogs calling but it took a while before we saw an anuran. This guy was spotted from the path some 30 feet away... he's a big Bullfrog.

We turned on to the Osprey path and the adult on the nest was none too happy to see us. The water is usually heavy with duckweed there and made these two look like lucha wrestlers

and this one like it was pretending to be a Blanding's.

This little fella was climbing high to get some sun on its plastron.

A lot of Bull...

Out to the main pond... a typical shot for the area.

Is this one in back doing all it can for yoga? Yes. Yes it is.

We finally saw a Snapper. It was relaxing with a Blue Dasher on its carapace.

But, as it often is, it was all about the Painters.

A Spicebush Swallowtail with it's proboscis sticking out stopped by to say "mmmphllphmmmf".

And we ended it with, you guessed it... a string of Painters.

We didn't do the long trek this time but we did our older full hike and while we didn't see as many species as we'd have liked to, you just can't complain when there are so many turtles about. But no snakes and that just won't do.

The next day, Sunday, we slept in a little and with the late start, we needed to keep it pretty close. I suggested our Copperhead path in Norfolk County. Every once in a while, they'll come down from their hill and can be seen on or near the path. Hey, it was worth a shot.

We poked around pretty thoroughly before deciding to ascend the hill, either part-way or the whole way. Andrea hasn't been too good on hills since her broken ankle in April on 2023 and we had to go slow to work up her strength. We got to a plateau and rested for a while. I decided to go up further to do a recon... see if any snakes were at their gestation site yet. A Red-spotted Purple Butterfly posed for me on the way.

I realized that we were closer to the right spot than I'd thought and I started poking around, looking for designs in between rocks and stuff. After about 10 minutes, I'd found a Copperhead, but getting a shot was extremely tough. My camera was dead-set on focusing on the rocks. This is the best I could do.

From another angle, a blurry noggin shot.

About 10 feet from there, I lost my footing and went ass-over-teakettle down between two large rocks. The camera fell into leaves and after I stopped sliding, I checked for broken bones. None, just a skinned and scraped up arm. The camera was fine. So I continued on, a bit shaken but not stirred.

I did see another Copperhead in a bush slide under a rock while looking, one with very bright colors. When I got back to Andrea, I described everything, calling that second one "an Okeetee-looking one". I asked if she had it in her to go up a little more and see the one I'd photographed. She said yes.

We found the spot and though the snake had moved position, it was still visible. Yay! A First of Year Copperhead for both of us! I actually found the Okeetee bush and a snake was back. Hidden inside a bush (Bear Oak, I believe), a photo was almost impossible. See?

After the snake slid under the rock, I pulled back a branch to look at the space under the rock and another Copper slid into it. Moving another branch, a third Copper slid under the rock! What a bush! I haven't been so enthralled by a bush since the last Joëlle Coeur movie I saw! I will keep that spot in mind next time we're here!

We looked around some more before making our way back to the side for the descent. Andrea thought I was heading to the wrong spot, so we moved further over. Good thing we did. We saw this on the way.

She started to backtrack while I had the body in focus so I didn't get a great head shot but it's better than nothing.

We made it down pretty easily and back to the car with no fuss or muss. I'm really proud of Andrea for going the extra mile on a weekend when she wasn't feeling 100% and helping me find some critters. Doing this together is what it's all about.

So, now we've seen eleven of the state's fourteen snakes. We need Timber, Worm... and fucking Hognoses, which used to be so easy! Eh, it's still early. Isn't it?