Sedate Toads At Home and Sickly Turtles Away
My Nature Journal Summary 07/29/2022
| Date | July 29, 2022 |
| Time | 9:30PM EDT |
| Temperature | 78ยฐF / 26ยฐC |
| Weather | Mostly cloudy |
| Wind | 7mph, 230ยฐ SW to NE |
| Humidity | 96% |
| Habitat | Suburban driveway |
| Animals Encountered | American Toad (Bufo americanus) |
My Nature Journal Photos 07/29/2022
American Toad (Bufo americanus)
After a brief rainstorm swept through, I peeked out my window and spotted this American Toad at the bottom of my stairs.
The air was so humid, my camera lens fogged up. But the toad sat motionless for his photo shoot and let me admire him for several minutes.
After a time, I wished him the very best of luck with his evening’s hunting, retreated back into air conditioning, and left him to his nocturnal life.
Nature Journal Summary 07/30/2022
| Date | July 30, 2022 |
| Time | 8:30AM EDT |
| Temperature | 78ยฐF / 26ยฐC |
| Weather | Partly sunny |
| Wind | 3mph, 340ยฐ NNW to SSE |
| Humidity | 90% |
| Habitat | Forest trail, oak, pine, and mixed hardwood. |
| Animals Encountered | Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene carolina) |
My Nature Journal Photos 07/30/2022
Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina
This Eastern Box Turtle was resting in the middle of the forest trail during my morning nature walk. I think she was a female, based on her yellow-brown eyes. Male Eastern Box Turtles have red eyes.
More important than the turtle’s sex was the strange, gray, bubbles around her nostrils and beak. I couldn’t tell if they were bubbles of mucus or actual growth of skin but they appears abnormal. I’ve seen box turtles and none shared this strange appearance. I wonder if perhaps she had a respiratory infection.
Regardless, after a few moments of what appeared to be aggrieved contemplation of me, she trundled off the trail and into the underbrush.
