In the flower world, white sweet clover (Melilotus alba) and twin flowers (Linneae borealis) are now blooming.
On our walk down to the pump house down on the Hudson River last Tuesday, I saw my second wood turtle of the year laying eggs. This one was much smaller than any other wood turtles I've seen laying eggs - maybe 7" or so along the length of her carapace. She had eggs in her nest and she was taking a pause while Toby and I were nosy. I wished her well and we moved on. When I checked on her next yesterday, it was undisturbed - no fox or raccoons have raided it yet.
Despite the rainy days of the last week, we probably gained no more than a half-inch of moisture. The Hudson River is down, although still paddle-able. I may try and put in the Spitfire one of these days down at the pump house before the water gets too low. Today would be a good day, I have the time, but it is Guaming again out there, and that's never a joy to be out in.
I've seen a couple bats darting over the yard at night during the last week or two. They are most likely big browns (Eptesicus fuscus), which, according to an article I just read, are one of the few species that have not been hit by white-nose syndrome (WNS). It seems that little browns, Indianas, eastern pipistrelles and northern long-earreds are the ones affected. I plan to attend a lecture on WNS on the 7th down in Bolton Landing. If you are in the area and interested in the topic, stop on in for the talk. You can find it listed in the event schedule for the Adirondack Invasive Species Awareness Week, which is the second week of July. Take a gander on-line at http://www.adkinvasives.com/InvasiveSpeciesAwarenessWeek.html.
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