Usually we focus on the pretty turtles, but here's an ugly spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) that I found pretty interesting. Here he was basking on a tussock just after the sun chased away a cloudy morning.

Take a look at this shell. This guy has been through a lot. I figure something must have gnawed at it for a while before getting up.

What I couldn't figure out was his tail. I figure it must have been broken in the attack and healed in this sharp, down angle. As usual, most of the painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) slid into the water as I approached, but one very large gal stayed put. I figured that was worth a photo.

The tadpoles from a couple weeks ago were still there, though a little bigger. One of their puddles looked like it was pretty close to drying out, and I didn't recall much rain in the forecast. So, I cut a little channel from a larger puddle to raise the puddle level a little bit. I know, I'm tinkering with 'nature,' but they'll probably all die anyhow when they're devoured by spiders, birds, and hordes of other predators as soon as they grow legs and hop out of the water.