Spring has Sprung

I went for a run a couple days ago and couldn't help but stop along the side of the road and take a picture of this budding tree.  

I saw my first turtle of the season and my first butterfly.  I got a picture of the turtle but not the butterfly.  In fact, I helped this turtle cross the road.  When I saw it at first I thought it was a small metal cap that had fallen off a vehicle but it was in a section of road near where Johnson Branch passes underneath and it is a common turtle crossing (and where I've found crushed turtles due to vehicle traffic).  I should have examined this turtle's underside when I picked it up and will do better next time but I always am a little nervous about getting pee'ed on and also don't want to traumatize them.  This turtle was only about four inches long.  Maybe it's an Eastern Painted Turtle.  

On that same run I traipsed through the woods at Abbott's Mill Nature Center and imagined that soon there might be groups of people or perhaps children sitting on these benches listening to talks about nature. 

But just a few days later, we had snow, cold, and high winds. And that same day, for the first time since we've lived here we had wild turkey's in our yard that day.

And a beautiful light dusting of snow over the wetlands. I'm thinking it's the last snow of the season.