The pond and slough behind our building host waterfowl, reptiles, and mammals. The Canada geese and their goslings have finally moved off, and along with them so have the droppings that make navigating the sidewalks a potentially slippery trip. I’ve watched a muskrat sneak its way across the pond and an egret standing stock still waiting for lunch to swim nearby.
This week, the turtles have been busy. On Sunday, I watched a female turtle lay her eggs into the hole she had dug by the bushes in front of our building. She finished by swiping some dirt into the hole to cover the eggs. On Monday my dog and I watched another turtle walk steadily back toward the pond through a group of evergreens. Along the walk around the pond, there are various holes dug, and I assume those are other nests.
Turtles near us don’t stay with their eggs and don’t appear to return to them once they are laid. I read that they lay them on land where they are more likely to survive. Near our pond it isn’t unusual for a mammal to gobble up the eggs in the unprotected holes. Last year around this time, I observed broken eggshells surrounding the holes soon after they were laid. As their presence proves, turtles continue to flourish in our area despite their reproduction methods.
I’ve snapped videos and pictures of these and other creatures and look back in wonder at the many ways our world supports all that God created to live in it. Genesis chapter 1 verse 31 says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening and morning—the sixth day.”
A prayer: Dear Lord, from creatures that move along the ground to people created in your own image, you made everything to exhibit your glorious power, knowledge, and sovereignty. You say in Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” Thank you for giving us eyes to see and ears to hear all you’ve made. Praise your glorious name, Elohim our Creator God! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Goldilocks Life 