Painted turtles

It was a gorgeous sunny spring day today, so we headed out to the cottage to check on things. On the roadside north of Loughborough Lake coltsfoot was blooming in the roadside ditch.

In one of the roadside ponds turtles were out on the logs.







We saw 7 mourning cloak butterflies along the way, on the walk back out the lane I managed to catch one of them with the camera. It was stubbornly sitting there with wings folded, it would let me close enough for a good shot, but wouldn't open the wings. I finally thought to cast my shadow upon it, and then it opened the wings, and I stepped aside to take the shot of it in the sun. I also saw an anglewing, probably a tortoiseshell, flitting past me by the lake. There was one little orange jobbie along the lane but it took off before I could get a shot.



We picked up 4 large bagfuls of pine cones off the lawn, there was a bumper crop this year. Judging from the piles of chewed up cones the squirrels had plenty to eat over winter.

The phoebes are back, they serenaded us as we worked. One green frog jumped into the water when I walked along the shore. The ice is off the lake, except for the swamps along the shore.

During the drive back there were half a dozen wild turkey hens trotting on the road, tried to get a pick but they got into the brush too quickly.