Steven Helmer Publications

For the first time this year, I could go for my lunchtime walk without needing a jacket. And, I wasn't the only one who was enjoying the warm weather. There were plenty of critters coming out of hiding today, including a ton of turtles (which is why there are a lot of them in the photos). Here are some of the photos I was able to take:

This is actually an older photo, taken about a year ago. I didn't go for a walk today because of the weather (it's very cloudy and a bit too dark to get decent photos, plus the trails are going to be under water after all that rain we had last night). I decided to share it again, however, just for the color.

I actually wasn't expecting to take a walk at lunch today. There was rain in the forecast and, because of that, I was making tentative plans to run some errands instead. However, the weather ended up being gorgeous and I was able to go after all. Much like this morning, by the lake, there were a few people in the park already and, since most had dogs with them, I wasn't really sure if I was going to see anything. But, I saw a wood duck at the start of my walk and between that, frogs, turtles, etc., I was able to get quite a few photos. Here are some of the photos I took:

I saw these ducks swimming in one of the ponds while out on my walk this morning. I've seen them before. But, they are very shy and this was the first time I was able to get a photo of them before they flew away.

It was kind of muggy out again today so, once again, I stayed on the flat parts of the park (avoiding the hills) as I took my walk. Apparently, the critters I normally see weren't overly thrilled to be out in the heat either because I didn't see to many. This was a little surprising because I figured the snakes and turtles would love this weather. But, I did still manage to get some photos while I was out. I saw this flower early in my walk and grabbed a photo of it because I thought it looked somewhat unique. I saw a few butterflies while I was out. But, this was the only one that stopped long enough for me to get a photo of it. Some berries I saw while out on my walk. Very pretty to look at but will likely give you a belly ache if you eat them. It's not a walk without a photo of a dragonfly. This one actually wasn't overly cooperative and it took me a bit to get the photo. None of his friends were either. They wouldn't even land anywhere near...

I've seen this little guy before. But, he's usually hiding behind a tree or on the island in the middle of the duck pond. I was lucky enough to be able to get within a couple feet of him this morning and take this photo. I really love the colors, especially the red eyes.