Snapping to it

I spotted this beauty of a snapping turtle on the edge of Mom and Dad's driveway last night; I took this first photo from my car, having stopped my car right next to her upon realizing I was not, in fact, looking at a really big rock. In the lower left corner, you can see a small hole dug in the dirt of the driveway, one of about a half-dozen we could see to either side of her—evidence of her search to find a good spot to lay her eggs:

A look at her from the side:

I was trying to get her tail in this shot, but it was fairly well hidden in the grass:

And finally, a nice close-up look at the turtle's head—in particular, the very striking color and pattern of her iris:

La bella luna

Just wanted to share a photo of the special visitor I noticed outside of our office building this morning: the beautiful Luna Moth. I obviously can't be positive, but there seem to be a few shreds of its cocoon still clinging to its back and one of its left legs:

Very, very cool thing to see.