Backyard Creatures

Last week I was at my parents and discovered some local wildlife. This toad was quite big and just exactly the kind of toad that might be a prince. (I didn't kiss him to find out)

I found these baby snappers heading down to the lake. My mom witnessed the prehistoric mama snapper laying her eggs a couple months ago. Then, my dad discovered a baby snapper in the driveway months later. We went on a hunt around the site of the nest and found 7 of them alive and a couple that had been run over on the street. I collected them in a bucket and carried them down to the lake shore near the swamp. I lined them up at the water's edge for the big moment of release into the wild. It was quite fun to watch them take in the scene of the lake for the first time. They were so tiny, the lake seeming so big. They moved their heads in unison from side to side a couple times and then slowly crawled into the water to test it out. They will have to find some mud to live in for the winter. It's interesting to think of them growing to be a huge snapper. Turtles are so cool.