Reptiles Gettin’ It On and Other Wonders of a Spring Walk

On By Widow BadassIn See the Beauty, The Great Outdoors

It remains cool and wet here in Ontario, and on Saturday morning I woke up to see ice instead of water on my rooftop patio. But the sun was shining and I had a new backpack to test on an actual walk, so out the door I went. And was I ever glad.

I saw this bigger (than my current) Osprey bag on sale, at Sail. Natch, it came home with me.
Osprey Kyte bag
Most of the time I wasn’t even aware I had it on, even though I had packed a bunch of stuff into it. It comes with its own rain hood, which I like.

Spring is an amazing time to be out in nature. There is so much going on, so much change happening. So much evidence of new life around.

Hard to miss the sight of a beautiful “Robin’s Egg Blue” actual robin’s egg on the trail.
And a robin parent with a worm for its hungry chicks.
And new leaves! A sight for winter-weary eyes.

My objective was to get as far as to where I had noticed the trilliums (not blooming as of last weekend), to see if the flowers were out yet. To get there first I had to go past one of my favourite places – the pond that is home to some large snapping turtles. I didn’t see any last week, so I really hoped I would see some today. Then I saw this, peeking out of the water.

snapping turtle shell
Weird. I had never seen a snapping turtle half out of the water like this before. Usually I see them slowly moving just under the surface.

So I quietly and carefully got closer, to get a better look. I had my new camera too, so was able to take advantage of the zoom lens.

Yikes! It’s two turtles, doing what comes naturally in the spring.
Caught in the act! Maybe in the next few weeks I’ll meet her on the trail, on the way to deposit her eggs in some sandy/rocky soil.

I eventually left the happy couple, but not before shooting some more turtle porn with my camera. I really wanted to title this post “Turtles In Flagrante!” but when I googled what in flagrante actually means (as opposed to what I thought it meant), the answer was “caught in the act of committing a crime”. And I personally don’t think it is a crime to make more turtles. Damn. Onwards to the trilliums!

Our provincial flower.
So gorgeous. So fleeting.

On the way back home, I passed the turtle pond again, and this time I noticed a large snake sunning on a log. Or at least I thought that was what I was seeing. I took plenty of pictures, once again (thank you, zoom lens!!!!). And when I got home and reviewed my shots with my reading glasses on, this is what I noticed.

Is that one snake or…?
Oh yeah. It’s definitely 2 snakes. Northern water snake if iNaturalist is correct. I think this might be a breeding pair?

I don’t know for sure if these snakes are/were/about to be getting it on, but they sure looked chummy. In fact, I am pretty sure I met the smaller (thank goddess) one last Sunday on the trail when I was looking for turtles in the pond. Here is the picture I took then.

I heard the grass rustling near my feet and looked down to see this little fella. He initially started slithering away, then turned around and came back towards me to check me out. Which gave me the opportunity to grab a shot. Luckily I am not terribly afraid of snakes.

I walk this trail at least once a week, in every season. I’ve been on parts of this trail since I was quite young as it runs from the village I live in now, to the town and quite near the house I grew up in.

It never gets old, even after 50 years of traipsing this path. And every time I’m out there, there is something new and wonderful to see. Especially in the spring. So my advice to you is:

Rock on, and get out there!

The WB

56 thoughts on “Reptiles Gettin’ It On and Other Wonders of a Spring Walk”

  1. Happy Spring Deb! Isn’t spring wonderful for so many reasons? And yes, life is happening all around us if we take the time to look. I’m sure your temps will be warming up soon although it has been unseasonably cooler here in the desert southwest this month….not that I’m complaining. There is still plenty to be thankful for no matter what. ~Kathy

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    1. Thanks Kathy! I just found out notification emails from your website were ending up in my spam folder. I marked them as Not Spam so hopefully I’ll start getting your new post notifications again. 😁

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  3. My goodness gracious, I am shocked I tell you, SHOCKED by some of the photos in this post. It’s a miracle I don’t have the vapors after seeing such things. 😲

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  5. Jean R.

    Love the turtles, I would have run away from the snakes. Those are big ones! Spring is, indeed, an interesting time to be out in nature.

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  7. Thank you for taking us along on this spring walk, Deb. I recently heard the grass rustle on a recent walk, looked down and also saw two snakes. Unlike you, I didn’t stick around to take photos….or to chat. 🙂 I love your new backpack and can’t wait to read more posts featuring it!

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  8. AJ Blythe

    I love places where they are so wonderful you can visit them over and over and never tire of them. I can see why this trail is one you love.

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  9. I’m with Allie. SHOCKED to see such things with my morning coffee. Goodness gracious, what is this world coming to?!!

    btw – great photos with the new camera!!

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  10. Don

    Ok, Turtles doing the deed, COOL! Its about time they stop being shy and come out of their shells, pun intended. Snakes? You had up until I got to the SNAKES! I’m very Indiana Jones, I don’t like SNAKES!

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  11. Pat

    I’m a turtle spotter as well. When we StandUp Paddle board on the lake, we count the sunning turtles and see who can spot them first. I’m not a fan of snakes however and do hope that was a long-range lens you were using!

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    1. Sorry (not sorry) to disappoint Janis! 😆 Four-legged or no-legged porn (in the case of the snakes) is the only type you’ll ever find here on ye olde blogge, if that gives you any comfort?

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  14. Love the spring – and the frenzy all around. I bet you that not too many can claim to have captured snapping turtles – In flagrante delicto – which is, as you thought, the correct usage of the phrase. From Wikipedia: “Aside from the legal meaning, the Latin term is often used colloquially as a euphemism for someone’s being caught in the midst of sexual activity”.

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    1. Thanks Maggie! The definition I pulled up for that term called it “caught in the act of sexual misconduct”, which I didn’t think was appropriate. The negative connotation, I mean. I should have dug deeper, as I think it’s a great term 😁…Although, if he or she were stepping out on their regular partners I suppose I could have caught them in flagrante delicto?!🤭 If turtles are even monogamous…I have no idea.

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  15. Hi Deb, Very funny title. Actually the entire post made me smile. Hilarious “turtle porn.” Had to show my husband. Knew a belly laugh was on the way. I love my Osprey daypack/airline travel pack. I lug it around everywhere with me. You are right. You barely notice you have it on, especially how it is made for a woman’s back. Now, I sound like a commercial🙂A great zoom lens. Exquisite flower photos. Amazing photos in general. A great Spring post😊

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    1. Thank you Erica! This is my second Osprey. I also have a 20L Tempest daypack. I love the airflow on the back when you wear it, and my hydration pack will fit either bag.

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  16. Your photos are a delight! I’ve never seen turtles in action and was amazed at how you found them “in the act.” The idea seems rather difficult (those hard shells – awkward) but it seems just easy as pie here. And the cuddling snakes – miraculous. This post with photos put me in a great mood. Here’s to more wonderful walks in front of us.

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    1. It does seem rather difficult for turtles, doesn’t it? But based on the number of abandoned nests and shell fragments I come across every summer, the turtles are managing to get the job done! Yes, here’s to many more great walks, thanks!

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  17. Nancy

    Hi Deb,
    Signs of spring are everywhere…and that is a serious pack!
    Spring is taking her time this year, I think. We drove through snowcover in the Green Mountains of southern Vermont yesterday. Yikes! But here in central NYS it is supposed to be a bit warmer and MAYBE we’ll see sun.
    But, if not, there are always winery tours and craft beer.
    Day 1 of the Wedding Roadtrip is in the books.

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  20. Cool! A couple years ago I got to photograph sand hill crane porn. So I know how cool it is to have the right camera with you at the right time! Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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