Liriodendron tulipifera, aka Tulip Poplar. I love the green of the new leaves as they unfurl.

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida). The actual flowers in the center are finally beginning to open.

A leech. The long... 

...and short of it. 

Check out the beak on this Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina)! This male is the first box turtle I have seen out and about this season.

Green leaves and blue skies...who could ask for more? 

Frog for today -- Southern cricket frog, Acris gryllus gryllus

Yellow Jessamine -- too bad I can't share the fragrance with you! 

This male carpenter bee was not a happy camper when my husband caught him and held him for this photo. But he wasted no time in resuming his guard duties when he was released. 

American Toad. He had just finished calling when I took this picture.  

Gray treefrog 

In honor of National Frog Month, here is your frog of the day -- a male bullfrog. He was sitting next to an abandoned goose nest. 

Prothonotary Warbler -- a very bold and busy bird. 

Happy gator, suspicious turtles. This was one of two gators we saw out today. 

Adder's-tongue (fern) 

Fungus with algae growing on it 

A Day at the Office 

Snakes, Snakes and More Snakes

Another busy day today. I have many pictures to share but I thought I would lump all of my snake pictures together under this post so that certain of my readers can avoid them if they wish.

We tallied five species of snake today:

• Cottonmouth (venomous)[ Agkistrodon piscivorus ]-- only saw three
• Brown Water Snake [Nerodia taxispilota] -- 41, and I'm sure we missed a few
• Redbelly Water Snake [Nerodia erythrogaster] -- two
• Black Rat Snake [Elaphe obsoleta] -- one (first one of the year)
• Northern Water Snake [Nerodia sipedon] -- two (first ones we've seen in a few years)

I realize that some people don't like snakes and I think that is unfortunate. They are truly amazing creatures and don't deserve to be so reviled. We were delighted to see so many individual snakes out in bushes and on trees today.

Cottonmouth peeking out of a clump of dead Spanish moss 

Brown Water Snakes -- two for the price of one!