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Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Checking kiosks

One of my duties on the refuge is to be sure that the seven kiosks located at different entry points are well stocked with brochures.  I haven’t had the time to do this since Memorial Day. So since I was done with my laundry and cleaning chores by noon, I headed out this afternoon to take care of that task.

It’s one of the chores I really don’t mind as I always see something interesting along the route.  Today was no exception.

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At one of the south entrances, I found a few more of those little yellow lady slippers.  This one had a snow white spider perched on it.  I found out today that Lady Slippers are in the orchid family.  I didn’t know that.

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Then, as I made my way down the gravel roads, I found a painted turtle trying to get to the other side.  It’s just about egg laying season for turtles, so I figured I’d better help it along before it got run over.  Locals drive these roads at break-neck speeds, and slow moving turtles don’t have a chance.

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I’m not too sure it was very happy about being picked up, but better this little trauma than getting squished!  I really liked the cool yellow striping on its legs and the pattern on its neck when it tucked its head in.  I’ve moved quite a few turtles along in my time, and this is the first time one didn’t pee all over as I picked it up.  I appreciated that.  Eye rolling smile

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Get a load of the cool patterns on its underside.  There is a way to tell a male turtle from a female turtle, but I just can’t remember it at the moment.  Anyway, I moved it off into the vegetation on the side of the road it was moving to.  Just in the knick of time, I might add, as a SUV came blasting past my truck.

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                                                          Hissss!!  Stay away from my family!

As I pulled along side one of the ponds, Father Goose gave me a warning.  Guess he didn’t recognize the Fish and Wildlife Emblem on the side of the truck!  Winking smile

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He escorted ma and the kids into the pond.  Surprisingly, there were three families of Canada geese using this pond.  With five goslings still in tow, this was the largest family.

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After finishing all the kiosks I headed home.  That’s when I discovered the bunches of larger yellow lady slippers.  They’re about three times bigger than the little ones.

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As I made my way through the vegetation to get to the ‘slippers’, I almost stepped on this caterpillar.  I don’t know what kind of butterfly or moth this one will turn into, but it had pretty blue stripes down its sides along with those white dots on its back. 

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For some reason, I just never thought of orchids blooming in the wild in Minnesota.  I kind of think they look like yellow dancing shoes with purple ties.

When I got back home, I noticed a distinctive brown tinge to the toilet bowl that I had just scrubbed with Lime Away this morning.  Uh Oh!  I sure hope this isn’t another brown water problem.  What is it with weekends around here? 

At least this time I have a full fresh water tank on board.  I took some readers’ advice and checked the pull handle for emptying the tank.  Apparently it had jiggled loose in traveling and was causing the leak that I had.  It’s now not leaking and I’m thankful for the suggestion to check it.  I never had that happen before.

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Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

25 comments:

  1. I see your post for today is a bit goosey (that's probably not even a real word), too! Teehee!

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  2. Love all of this. Beautiful colors on the turtle and the flowers.

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  3. I'm guessing that turtle was very grateful :)

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  4. That turtle is beautiful - I love his markings. What? You have a handle on your toilet? Like a REAL toilet? Cute little goslings - I've seen the adult geese, but I guess I was too far from the water to see the babies. I was told they keep them hidden. So cute. :)

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  5. Gorgeous markings on that turtle and really exciting that he/she didn't pee on you. Your soft touch must be improving. Somebody else in their blog is calling them goose puppies. So cute.

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  6. In the first picture of the lady slipper with the white spider, it looked like a little bow. Yeah I see things lol

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  7. I would say your little kiosk tour turned into quite the adventure. . .turtle rescues, orchids, and babies. . .quite an afternoon! Certainly made that little chore interesting. . .

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  8. I don't always comment, but I always enjoy reading your blog, Judy!

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  9. Rats! I love your pictures of the yellow lady slippers. Since we saw so many lovely pink ones, I've been hoping to see the yellow as well but they will be gone from where you are by the time I can get there to see them. So thanks for such great pictures. And of the turtle too. You only get a hint of the wonderful colors if you don't look really closely. The designs in nature are just amazing.

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  10. Love the turtle! And the other beautiful pictures.

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  11. What a beautiful post Judy! I enjoyed every picture and word....

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  12. Loved the baby geese, and that painted turtle was gorgeous. We saw them in Florida, at least I think that is what they were, but never picked one up to see that amazing underside. Thanks, Judy. Loved it.

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  13. I will not pick up a turtle, but thanks for doing it for me..loved his fabulous Picasso underside!

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  14. I haven't picked up a turtle since I was a kid, and have never seen one like that. Beautiful!

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  15. I was camping i south Georgia once when a very large tortoise crossed our site. He was actually going at quite a clip. Jack just watched it and looked at me as if to say what the heck is that. I love to watch geese or any water fowl for that matter. I love to read stories about their formations and how one will stay behind with an injured goose...and love to hear them honk as they fly overhead. Your pictures are beautiful, as always.

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  16. Amazing the beauty you find in nature on your kiosk restocking trips. Those speeding local residents really are missing out.

    Glad to hear you solved the water leak problem. Sometimes the simple things are the most overlooked.

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  17. Amazing patterns on that Turtle. It looks like it was hand-painted for sure.

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  18. Not sure if I have ever seen slippers up close and personal. I love all flowers, and this one is so unusual. Really neat to look at.

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  19. Love the Lady Slippers. I really want to find some here in southern Michigan.

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  20. Incredible encounters with wildlife....that turtle had awesome markings on his underside as well as his legs. Thanks for the post and pics!

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  21. What a wonderful day you had; beautiful photos!

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  22. One of the ways to identify male or female turtle:
    Look at the underbelly of the turtle's shell. This is called the plastron. If the plastron is convex, meaning it's slightly bent in an outward direction, the turtle is probably a female. If the plastron is concave, meaning it's rounded inward toward the inside of the body, then the turtle is most likely a male.

    The reasoning behind this is that the female's convex plastron provides more room for eggs, while the male's concave plastron fits better over the female's when mating.

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  23. Love the lady slippers and your description … "look like yellow dancing shoes with purple ties."

    I brake for turtles but I've yet to pick one up ... I'll stand over it and kinda help move it along ... I've had rat bastards HONK ... pffffft on 'em

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  24. Cute li'l baby grouses! (how'd you get close enough for this shot??)
    Dunno about the caterpillar, but I'd guess it would be a bad one if you see a lot of them....

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  25. Thanks for the peek at your beautiful Lady Slippers! WE are doing okay...one day at a time! Thanks for the kind offer to help us out...between the two of us and Chance we are making it just fine. Not everything needs to be perfect:)

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