Camellia

I walked past this camellia bush while on my way to comprehensive exams. 

Nature Reflections

There is an irony in being a nature blogger. It is easy to spend more time using technology to blog about nature than actually enjoying nature. So today I deliberately left the good digital camera at home during my hike along New Hope Creek. 

I hadn't walked far when the leap in my heart whispered, "take a picture." So I pulled out the smart phone. The creek was low and still, the sky was achingly blue, the trees just starting to turn color, the low angle of the sun perfect for reflection. 

What is this urge to capture the moment? To hold it, to share it? I sat by the creek and meditated, trying to empty myself of words that describe, images to hold. It's hard. 

On the way back, I encountered another still life in a pool among the rocks. 

It's my new screensaver.

Or do I like it better upside down? A peek out of a cave at trees blurred by a breeze, leaves floating in the air. 

We love nature, yet we can't stop manipulating it. 

Turtle Rescue

Today I walked in the woods by a favorite creek. The water was low and the creek muddy. I startled a red-tailed hawk and saw a flock of robins among the trees, but otherwise I saw no interesting wildlife.

Then, on the drive home, I spotted a small turtle walking across the road. The turtle was heading for the centerline and a car was approaching in the opposite direction. I stopped, got out and picked up the turtle and carried it to the other side of the road. 

Another car that had just passed also stopped on the side of the road and the driver called to me: "Got him?" I was happy to have rescued this small turtle and pleased that another driver had cared to stop as well. 

I think it may be an Eastern box turtle. Box turtles have highly individualized shells, from what I gathered online, so it's hard to say for sure. Do you know?

I wondered what the turtle thought about being carried to the side of the road by a large creature who appeared out of nowhere. Divine intervention? Busybody? 

Sometimes I think it would be easier to be a creature with no thoughts. 

Wordless Wednesday: Autumn Backlighting