Yesterday marked first appearances, both much earlier than previously recorded. The first hummingbird (previously Apr 1 and Mar 30), and the first box turtle (previously Apr 6) were observed. They were probably a bit cold last night - the temperatures have been getting down into the 30s, and last night’s low here was 34F. I should point out that these are only my observations, which might have missed earlier appearances in the past. I see that previous hummingbird observations in the Athens area have occurred as early as Mar 15. There’s the value of having a *lot* of observers, rather than just one.

This male box turtle, a new one, was found on the northeast slope of Deck 1. He probably saw me before I saw him, for he was trying to dig himself backward into the leaf litter. Too late, it’s a gotcha.

He’s a little worse for the wear, with some degree of chipped carapace edges. Since this is new territory, in which I’ve previously only found two other specimens, it’s probably not too surprising that I haven’t seen him before.



The usual documentary thumbnails. I noticed, from comparing the opposing side views in the first and third thumbnails below, that the general patterning is not dissimilar between the left and right sides of the carapace. The specific detailing does differ between sides.



In the past week, straddling the calendar opening date of spring, redbuds have been flowering. As I mentioned a week ago coral honeysuckle is now in flower. Mayapples have been emerging and expanding (and the new property is filled with them in several areas). Painted buckeye buds have been opening - again, there is quite a difference in timing here with some with leaves completely opened and others with buds that are merely swelling. One of the dominant shady floodplain grasses, bearded shorthusk, is emerging. Dogwoods are not yet venturing forth. I’ve seen several dragonflies but haven’t yet been able to make an identification. No snakes yet, but I’ve been watching for them.