summertime moments . . .

[earthmother45]

I am drawn to this place more than anywhere else. I was down at the pond the other day sitting peacefully on a shaded bench being mesmerized by the calmness of the water and taking in the beauty of the last lotus of the season, when suddenly a ripple started in the center of the pond and made its way to where I was. As it moved into the dappled

Comments

[gordongirls]

Jurassic Turtle! What an interesting head and face. I've never seen one before.

[earthmother45]

I saw my first one about 8 years ago and I came face to face with it. I was kneeling down on the bank of the pond and my face was about 2 feet from the water when one came up right in front of me. It scared me to death and if my camera hadn't been around my neck, I would have dropped it! Their necks can extend out 8-10 inches and they have a mean bite. They can be aggressive and they are huge. I've seen some (their shells) grow to almost two feet long. Yes, my first thought was a prehistoric creature! I would say about a dozen live in the pond I visit.

I edited my post to include a few of the pictures I've taken.

[gordongirls]

That face-to-face photo is awesome! The others are great at capturing the essence of the turtle.

[earthmother45]

Thank you!

[auntconi]

Appears to be quite large ... when you mention the size of the fish it was swimming with ...
Very interesting!

[earthmother45]

They are very large and quite voracious eaters.

[thoughtsbykat]

It's fascinating creature. The snout is very odd. The first photo looks like there are polly wogs in the water rather than fish. it was nice that the turtle swam over to give you some company while you were contemplating.

[earthmother45]

Totally fascinating! The unusual snout was the first thing I noticed about it, and then those eyes!

[kabuldur]

Sure is a funny looking beast but endearing :)