Two Bees or Not Two Bees. 8-19-2018

After our amazing Saturday (that went right into Sunday), it was a bit rough to get up in the morning the following day. But we did because A.) We're stupid, and B.) we like seeing animals. Our Sunday choice was a close-ish place in Norfolk County. Once again, we were hoping to see some baby turtles.

We got there in the mid morning, which was pretty impressive. We were moving a bit slower than usual but we happily headed in. Our first sighting was a small Pickerel Frog hiding under a board.

He's all head. I love Baby Season!

Once we hit the trails in earnest, we saw this gorgeous Garter who might have swallowed a few of the Pickerel's litter-mates.


It was pretty hot and we weren't seeing many animals in some reliable spots but distant Painters threw us a bone.


It was good to see that a much-used vernal still had some water in it. There has been plenty of time for the Wood Frogs and Spotted Salamanders that use it to metamorphose. Some frogs were enjoying the pool still, like this Pickerel.


A couple of young Greens were hanging out as well.


^ Smooth face.

This little guy (who has only been on land for a short while) had climbed up a fairly large hill about 100 yards from that vernal. Travelin' Spotted Salamander.


Andrea stumbled onto a Garter nursery. She was watching a tiny shoestring make its way through the brush...

I looked into the bush and saw this one...


This little guy became a nice teaching snake for some little kids coming by.


A little bridge over by a waterfall was being rebuilt by some volunteer kids. We got worried because they were making noise and stuff but I sat down on a rock and this Water Snake was right there, laying 3 feet away.


Basking space was at a premium.


We went over to a known turtle nesting area to see if any hatchlings were around. Sadly, Andrea found some nest upheaval caused by a bulldozer there (that's what the space is used for... 'dozing branches and shit that has been cleared) and a few dessicated preemie snaplings. I found this itsy-bitsy shoestring which made us feel a bit better.


A little further up the trail, we got to a decent salamander spot. Knowing that most of the local Ambystoma has become terrestrial, we moved in with high hopes. Soon, I was down by a log and I thought I stepped into a pricker, I brushed my ankle and saw it was an insect. Before it could register, I had a screaming jolt in my other leg. Shit, I'd upset some Yellow-jackets. I ran with both legs burning. I felt a tickle up my shorts-leg. I brushed at it just as a hitch-hiker was starting to do business.

So, the next couple of hours, we not only didn't see anything, but my legs were super-painful. (The shorts one only felt like I had an annoying sliver in my pants... mercifully, I didn't get a full sting.) It wasn't until this Pickerel that we saw another animal.


We didn't waste too much time on this trail. It was very short.


Along with pain-free legs, our animal sightings had pretty much disappeared. A few distant Painter sightings had to satisfy us.



Not my best photography but you get the idea.

The last place that we wanted to look at gave us one last animal. This beautiful Garter was stretchin' in a straight line.

And with this face smiling at you, I now close this chapter.


PS... those damn stings really bothered me for a few days.