Turtle Tuesday

I wanted a butterfly bush planted. My purchase was made in June, so I certainly had procrastinated in getting it out of its gallon tub since it is now August. I convinced my hubby to help in the dig since our Frederick County soil is heavy, rich clay. I knew I would only have my hubby's attention for a short span, so I pointed to an area that didn't have a lot of grass growing, but was showing our rich, brown soil. Now, I have to pause to add that this more "natural" area of our lawn is a special place for snapping turtles to lay their many eggs at the end of May each year. They make the painfully slow journey (as I watch) from Johnson's Creek on our property, past our blueberry bushes and up the grueling hill to where we have purposefully left that area for various wildlife creatures. In this dirt patch area we observe birds pecking, fox and kits rolling, and turtles digging. We have been so conscious to keep this area in our protective eye that in retrospect, I thought,"How could I have hastily instructed my husband to plant the bush in this area?"

As soon as he heaved the shovel in the ground, a queasy feeling approached my stomach and it traveled all the way up my spine to my head. I became light-headed and had to turn away when I saw a patch of bright white inside the dark hole. We immediately felt what we had done. 20-30 turtle eggs lay peacefully on our land. No other critters had disturbed them yet. It was us. All this time protecting the August hatching of one inch turtles.

Tim was completely devastated and quickly covered those lovely eggs back up. He threw down the shovel and voiced what I was thinking, "I feel sick to my stomach." He proceeded to leave without another word.

I stood there for many minutes, not sure of where to go or what to do. It was obvious that a few were killed, some broken and were too premature to make it. I decided, probably for my own comfort, to cover the area a bit more with extra soil.

Not sure if I had a slice of life lesson to learn except pure regret.

Love this video It's not mine, but the music matches my slice of life mood. Forward to the 2 minute mark to see those pearly, white eggs find their home for the next 80-90 days.