Rode my bicycle to work today. The St. Louis summer has begun. Hot sun, still, warm air. The sun has moved farther into the north now.

And I saw this snapping turtle who had hauled out of the water to go lay her eggs and was heading back home. She was crossing the road and was befuddled by the curb, so I went to help lift her up over it (carefully, from way back on the shell), but my approach scared her sufficiently to give her the energy to make it up over the curb and on into the water.

A week ago Sunday we were in the park and this team was moving snapping turtles from an area under construction for restoration to another spot where they wouldn’t be disturbed. We got a good look at this fellow, and even learned how to sex a snapping turtle (this one is a male).

And I missed the full moon this month. Here it is, 4 days late, over the art museum.