The Last Days of May 5-30-2025

One last hurrah in the month of May... Andrea got off work (at home) at 2:30 so I woke up and asked if she wanted to go out and look for critters. We originally chose a spot just inside Norfolk County to look for Milks. On the way there, I asked if she wanted to stop by the closed school to see if any Water Snakes were up and about. We decided to do that and got into slow moving traffic. Oops.

Well, we eventually got there and went to the boardwalk.

But there was no boardwalk. The place was thoroughly flooded. No Water Snakes for us. Wait... what's that on the second log on the left?

Big enough Mama to see from 40 feet away!

We poked around the edges. I stood on a grate and looked out over the pond next to the playing fields. The spillway is full of volleyballs and tennis balls and pollen. Pretty gross. These Painted Turtles didn't seem to care, though.

I told Andrea that I had to stand on the grate to see these guys (and she'd never do that) and she said, "no, I can see them." The other side of the pond had a sweet stack of Painters that I hadn't even seen.

So, to continue on to the Norfolk County spot or just try to get over to the park that is attached to the playing field. We decided on the latter just to avoid more annoying traffic.

It was fairly quiet there. It is usually filled with dog walkers, bikes and other things but it was pretty calm. We saw a large Water Snake hanging out next to a bridge going over the brook.

Further on, another big Mama, this time with a visible meal in her.

We got to our turn around spot and saw a Painter trying out a suitable nesting spot.

On the way back, Andrea finally found us a frog... a pretty Green sitting in a puddle.

There are tons of rocks here but since I'm getting older and weaker, I only go for the easy, low-hanging fruit. I really was hoping for a Garter. This, another big Mamajamma Water Snake, was nestled into an interesting coil. She didn't last long. She bolted off, saving Andrea the bites and musk that would have come with moving her to replace the rock.

Always on the lookout for such things, we saw a Snapper head in the brook.

Walking back by the bridge, we noticed the big Water Snake lounging on the hill going down towards the water. Was she consciously waiting for something?

Because about 6 feet from her, this good sized Snapper was walking up a small waterfall.

Now, I'm not sure a 3 foot snake has a ton to worry about, save a possible nip but you never know and nature holds a lot of surprises. I like to think she was waiting for the coast to clear. The Snapper disappeared quickly.

Heading back, a smaller Water Snake was cruising through the brush.

A few more Painters for good measure.

Finally, almost to the parking lot, a Garter appeared. It was too fast for me but Andrea got our voucher shot and all was well with the world. No way I could lift the rock it went under.

Unplanned trips that pay off with exciting sights are the best. This was a decent Friday surprise.