> I was cleaning the garage (never ending task) this morning when I saw a slight movement over by the door. A closer look revealed a tiny turtle, about the size of a silver dollar. Not a box turtle, but a snapping turtle.
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> I am not surprised to see land turtles here in the woods. And every now and then we see an adult snapper. Sometimes the big guys decide that it is time to move, so they leave their pond or stream and take off overland to find another body of water. We have seen a couple in the yard and one cruising down the road in the front of the house. (Over a 30 year period)
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> But a baby? This little guy looked like he had hatched yesterday. He looked like a minature of the big snappers. He was almost black and since it was rather cool, he moved very slowly. His general direction was downhill, which after a while would lead him to a large clear spring in the woods. So I gave him a lift to the lower corner of the yard. The sun came out about that time so I guess he warmed up and made better time.
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> I've always heard stories about it raining fish and frogs. And to be honest, we have had about 8 inches of rain in the last few days, so maybe it was raining turtles. Several times after a hard rain, I have found frogs in the yard. Not toads, mind you, but real aquadic frogs. Specifically they are the common leopard frogs, and here they are hundreds of feet from the nearest water. I usually just place them down there in the corner of the yard and point toward the spring.
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> You may wonder why I don't take them the whole way. The spring is a hundred yards or so from the house and most of the distance is a thicket filled with briars, snakes, chiggers, ticks, mosquitoes, and who knows what all. There used to be a path, but it has grown up until it is no longer visible and I haven't been down there in years. There used to be cattle grazing under the trees, but they have been gone for a decade or two. So I just turn the frogs, turtles and other such wildlife loose and wish them luck. Maybe they can make it on their own.
> Howard

.... I found a little turtle in a puddle of water after I was playing tennis a few weeks ago.
I think someone's got him with them, but if it's who I think it is, I pity the poor feller. :) And it was so CUTE CUTE CUTE.
The poor thing was the size of your average... y'know that depression in the middle of a saucer that you put cups on? About that big. TINY.
We've got it as a sort of class pet. I think it should be called Pluth Plittle Pthurtle.
What do you think?

Lyndra