Creatures of Nature

Maura and Michael's first day of Spring Break was Wednesday, so we took the opportunity to do the long-awaited "whole Greenway" bike ride. They have been bugging me to do this since I first took them to the Greenway, but I knew that it would be more than an after school activity, so I promised we'd do it for Spring Break. 

Wednesday was a perfect day to ride 10 miles. It was warm (80) but uncharacteristically cloudy, so we didn't sweat, or get dehydrated. :) Spring is in full swing down here in the Carolinas. In fact, it feels more like summer to me. The trees are already heavy with green leaves, the daffodils are long gone, and the birds sing before 6 am. Pollen is still everywhere though.

We saw SO MANY lil creatures today. We took our time, and were quick to stop anytime any of us spotted something extraordinary. My personal favorite:

This little turtle, only about as round as a golf ball, I spotted while we were going over one of the bridges. I don't know how my eye caught him. He is so small. I did find it fascinating to compare the careful oversight Mother Duck gave to her three little ones, and the total independence of this tiny turtle. Interesting how the different species were designed.

Not So Cute Mr. Frog. There was a time, believe it or not, when I was completely engrossed with frogs. There was a small swamp near our house, and the summer I was ten, I spent my days capturing and releasing frogs of all sizes.

Can you count all the turtles? 7 in all!

See the pretty Green Heron?

Caterpillar on Michael's Cheetos-covered fingers

Dragonfly

Favorite picture from the day

Does anyone know what these flowers are called? They are absolutely stunning.

Wild Strawberries

There were also some neat things to see on the Greenway, like the tree roots that grow right through the asphalt:

We treated ourselves to Yoforia after our long bike ride. Yum-O. It just gets better every time I have it.

FUN DAY!