..June Begins

May 30 went out like a lion in my hometown. We had a severe storm with straight-line winds and downbursts, including a wind gust of 69 miles per hour. Many large and old trees went down such as the one in the photo below. It suffered damage in a store many years ago and yet a good portion of it had survived, but this time it took the whole thing. I'm sure the tree was well over 100 years old.

Here's the latest time-lapse photos of what I've come to call the Stearnswood Prairie. Stearns wood is the name of the business in the background. This spot is between  Stearnswood and the trail running along the river.

MAY 5, 2018

MAY 10

 MAY 20, 2018

JUNE 1

On one end of this Prairie is a little pothole that was mowed flat earlier this spring.

 MAY 20, 2018

JUNE 1, 2018

JUNE 2 AFTER THE RAIN 

Came across this little one on the trail. I believe it's a teeny tiny painted turtle, with some pond scum on his back. I'm not sure it was even the size of a quarter. At first I thought it was just a leaf blowing across the trail until I got closer. I stayed by it until a kind gentleman came by to help me move it across, because I guarantee you it would have been squished by a bike if we hadn't. Hopefully it will live to see another day. When he picked it up, that little one sure was ready and raring to go.

Some of these beauties along the trail as well.