Sunbathing on the First Day of Spring

To usher in the first day of spring (today!), here's an an image of a painted turtle basking in the sun's rays. And yes, these guys are probably still hibernating now. This image was taken last summer.

Painted turtles are all over Toronto, in fact they're very common from Southern Canada right down to Mexico. Sometimes you can catch a half dozen of more of them on a log or rock all basking together and piled up like a bad multi-vehicle crash on the 401. Any sort of wetland near your home will almost for sure have one or more of these guys.

And note: this really isn't a very good image. Because this guy is basking in the direct sun there are harsh shadows around the edge of his shell and by his rear leg. Always avoid harsh direct sunlight for any kind of portrait, whether it's of Uncle Jack or a turtle.

One Curious Amphibian

This bullfrog came to check me out at the edge of his pond in the Don Valley, and did so from many different angles to be sure I wasn't causing trouble.

Yes, I am a broken record but - like so much stuff - frogs and toads are plentiful anywhere in Toronto. Just check around any pond or marsh-like area and if you can't see them just listen: if there's a weird noise that's not a bird and seems to come from nowhere in particular, you can be almost sure it's some type of frog. You can also spot them by looking for a sunny area in a pond. They like to catch their rays in the morning.