Operation Turtle Rescue

Fifty percent (both of you) got the latest quiz right. That's a box turtle that I rescued from the pond. The water level is pretty low so it couldn't get out of the pond and was clinging to the ladder. At first it looked like a frog with a really long neck, or even a duck since its head was covered in duckweed. (I'll accept duckweed as an answer but that's not what I was referring to in the quiz). I used the pond net to get the turtle out. I left briefly and it had already climbed off the pond deck into the ferns, so we pulled him out again and poured a glass of water over him to expose his natural beauty. :) They say turtles are slow, but he was so fast when he was trying to get away that my pictures turned out blurry. After taking pictures, we put him back in the ferns.

What is this?

 

Answer to the Quiz Question

It's been a week since I posted the quiz question, so I'm going to reveal the answer. I'm pleased to see that several people voted, which means that people besides my immediate family actually read my blog. ;) At the time I'm writing this, 75% of voters think that bats poop upside down. I thought it would be nifty to have a video showing the answer, but then again, I figured do people really want to see a video of a bat relieving itself? I'm assuming that the bat in our bedroom window has the same bathroom habits as other bats. I caught the bat doing #2 today, so I ran to get the video camera, but when I got back, he was done. So I'll have to just give the answer sans video, which you will probably be relieved (no pun intended) about anyway. Seventy-five percent of you probably thought, "Bats hang upside down, therefore, they must poop upside down". Well, you thought wrong. :) Think about it--if they pooed upside down, they would go on themselves, and who would want to do that. So, it was sort of a trick question. Our bat who hangs upside down all day, will turn right side up, poop (or pee), then turn back upside down again. I didn't vote myself, but the winners of the quiz (because I know how they voted) are Camera Trap Codger and my husband. Congrats. The winners will receive all the free bat guano they want, which the Codger tells me makes good fertilizer for houseplants. Thanks to everyone who voted.