Garden Visitor

The other day I had put Trixie Lou McMuttsley outside, only to have to go back out after her to hush her incessant barking.  She had found this guy?lady? lurking in the depths of the daylilly foliage between our driveway and our neighbor's driveway.

Look at the bright orange markings on this eastern box turtle's legs!  I have found box turtles before (last year there was one in our yard), but I have never seen one with such bright orange on the legs.  I am guessing this is probably a male, since nature usually favors more subdued, camouflaging colors on females for the safety of the species, and he seemed to be on a mission.  I picked him up and found him a nice spot under my blueberry bushes in the back yard.

Then on Sunday my husband found him heading to the other neighbor's yard under the fence, and moved him back to a "better" place.  However, yesterday that neighbor had the fence torn down between our yards to replace it, so now there is no fence, their fence builders are committing "crape murder" (cutting the crape myrtles down to nubs -- which at this late date probably means no blooms this year) and otherwise demolishing their landscaping.  I hope this turtle with a mission to head north manages to avoid the generalized mayhem and destruction over there, as well as their swimming pool!

Linked to Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage; Show Off Your Cottage at The House in the Roses; Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life