This morning Amy and I were striding down a paved walking trail when suddenly I realized I was walking alone. I turned quickly to see if Amy had fallen into a mysterious hole, but instead found her staring intently at a small lump of mud on the sidewalk. “That’s what I thought,” she exclaimed. “That’s a turtle!” I craned my neck to get a better view. Sure enough, what I thought was a dirt-clod was actually a living thing.
From Mr. Turtle’s perspective, he’s just basking in the middle of the sidewalk, minding its own business when he’s unceremoniously scooped up and gawked at by two enormous creatures that don’t have the decency to let others alone.
The ‘lil guy (or gal; to be honest I don't know the gender) is a river cooter of some variety. Maybe a Texas river cooter (Pseudemys texana) or an eastern river cooter (Pseudemys concinna). Either that or it’s one of the many varieties of slider that someone “set free”. Being that he’s so puny, I’m going to assume that he didn’t find his way here from little Johnny’s aquarium. What an interesting thing have happen!
Now, I admit, normally I’d just admire the wildlife from a distance, but “Turtleboy” here was in a high traffic zone and heading for some smooshing, so we moved him closer to the pond. He hesitated just a moment, then plunged into the cool, not-so-clear water and was gone. Hmph, not even a “thanks.”
There you have it people. Be vigilant and remember to look down once in a while. You might be walking on somebody else’s sunshine!
