How Do You Enjoy Autumn?

If you're a Midland Painted Turtle you crawl onto a log, stretch your neck, tail, and hind legs and let the sun warm your body in the 45 degree air.

 

If your a Chipping Sparrow you pause for a few moments, while eating wild berries, and let the sun warm your feathers before flitting away from a hiker taking your photograph.

 

 

If you're me, you stop and marvel at the color of a Sugar Maple's glowing leaves in the afternoon sun and appreciate the sun's ability to make all creatures pause and enjoy the moment.

 

 

 Bowman Lake, Fox Island Co. Park

Allen Co., Indiana

 

 

When You're Hot, Your Not------A Male.

With the daylight hours decreasing with each passing day this Painted Turtle crawled out of the water onto sandy soil and turned facing directly into the sun in order to warm it's cooled carapace.  Suddenly, out of nowhere, comes a member of the local paparazzi, sits on the ground next to him and starts with the photographs.  Jeeze!!

While Painted Turtles bask in the sun to warm their bodies it is also the sun's warmth that determines the sex of the un-hatched turtles during the second of the three embryo development periods which take place in the underground nest.  Painted turtle eggs warmed and incubated around 74 deg. will generally be males and eggs incubated around 80 deg. will generally become females.  Differences of the egg positions in the nest assures an even balance of males and females.

Photographs at Bowman Lake, Fox Island County Park.

Now you don't, Now you see it!

 

Fox Island Marsh, Oct. 6, 2012, during the summer drought.
Acres of Smartweed



Fox Island Marsh, Oct. 10, 2013
Acres of Duckweed

 Fox Island Marsh, Oct. 1, 2013

 

Why Wetlands are so important.