This male Black Swallowtail was completely floppy fresh when I found him. He gave me about an hour to take photos of him.
Below is an Umber Shadowdragon, Neurocordulia obsoleta Meg found while walking along a trail near the Eno River last Sunday. It was a first for me in the state of North Carolina and only the second time I'd seen it before, I saw it in South Carolina one day in may many years ago. Even though this species is reported to have been found in 53 of our 100 counties none of my dragonfly buddies have seen it here to my recollection.
Below is an Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene carolina that left us eggs in our garden a week ago. I looked it up and it'll be 11-12 weeks before they hatch. She was found by Meg when her hole was nearly dug as I was making dinner. I gave her as much privacy as I could and took this photo for the blog. Even at dark she was resting over the nesting site either worn out or protecting it.
This Carolina Anole, Anolis carolinensis posed for this photo before it headed off for cover. It was about 8 to 9 inches long very big from what I'd seen in the past of these little lizards. If I'm right the red throat (dewlap)indicates it is a male, this is used to attract females. These are sometimes called American Chameleons yet they are not true chameleons.
Green coloring means it is happy, if you find a brown one of these, it is not happy. I rarely see brown ones.
Vacation is over Meg starts a new fifth grade class in the morning!
