What you can see on a short nature walk.

     It's wonderful what you can see when your eyes are open to the world around you.  We didn't have time for a very long walk today, as my husband was with us, and he has to leave for work in the afternoon.  But that didn't stop us from seeing some amazing things!

     This was really neat- a whole cluster of spicebush swallowtails just sitting in the grass.  They were so still, and they let me get right up on them without moving.  I once came across a group of butterflies that had been eating the fermented juice from some windfall pears, and were quite drunk!  Unable to fly or even walk strait, they were just wandering around in crooked little circles. 
     These butterflies reminded me of that, but they weren't drunk; just completely absorbed in what they were doing.

     Canadian Geese have become so common that it's not a big deal to see one anymore, but I still got a thrill to see a gaggle of these stately birds walk right past us.  They weren't bothered by us in the least.

I had put away my camera, and decided not to take any more pictures, when I see an enormous snapping turtle coming out of the water, and then this turtle sitting on a log.  I run and get my camera out of the diaper bag, but it was too late for the snapping turtle- he had disappeared. I aimed the camera at this guy just in time to see him slip into the water, but I did manage to get a picture of him swimming away.  Next step- identify him!

                               "Nature is but a name for an effect whose cause is God"  --Cowper