This summer I have fallen in love with turtles. I think the colors of the body and the shell are spectacular. I've been looking at turtle ID websites and I think he (or she) is an "eastern painted turtle". Click on this guy to enlarge and take a peek at those claws! What does he use them for? To open shells perhaps?
They love to bask in the sunshine and mind their own business. I can't seem to get a dragonfly to stay put for photographs, but turtles don't move much at all, until they get fed up with the kayak and go PLOP in the water.
This turtle wanted to make sure I got his best side for the photo, so he turned his head for me. There's usually more turtles on this log (I've nicknamed it "Turtle Town") but after Irene the marsh is deeper and most of the log is underwater.
