Favoritos de lotusmorning

This was the most exciting find of the day. My assumption is that this turtle just emerged after overwintering in its nest (we've seen them do this up in Lake County). We found this little friend at a relatively newly constructed restoration site, and it's super cool to know that these native turtles are able to breed here!

Two joggers found this turtle on Doran beach. It was headed for the sea. They took it to the reptile rescue. Anyone know the species? I'm was thinking China Pond but the ventral scutes don't match what I'm finding online.

We went searching for these caterpillars with a botanist/entomologist who was interested in seeing if they might be around. Everyone was excited to find some!

If you look closely, it's the small red caterpillar on the stem.