#NewThisDay Writing From My Photo Stream

Another bright fresh morning in the woods and meadow before leaving tomorrow. Still anxious about transitioning, I breathe deeply and focus. When I'm taking pictures, all that's on my mind is what is through the lens: The misty river in a sunbeam through the trees. . . the ecstatically light drenched Queen Anne's Lace. . . the painted turtle - trickster - is laying her eggs on the incline of the trail - I see her, but fortunately, Charlie runs blindly up the hill. All along the trail, wild blueberries are ripening, green to blue, one by one, and will all be ready soon in my absence. The white tailed deer will have their plenty. I am having my plenty now.

“Reliant on warmth from its surroundings, the painted turtle is active only during the day when it basks for hours on logs or rocks. During winter, the turtle hibernates, usually in the mud at the bottom of water bodies. The turtles mate in spring and autumn. Females dig nests on land and lay eggs between late spring and mid-summer. Hatched turtles grow until sexual maturity: 2–9 years for males, 6–16 for females.

In the traditional tales of Algonquian tribes, the colorful turtle played the part of a trickster. In modern times, four U.S. states have named the painted turtle their official reptile. While habitat loss and road killings have reduced the turtle’s population, its ability to live in human-disturbed settings has helped it remain the most abundant turtle in North America. Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.”

— Wikipedia