Top Photo: Canada geese defend goslings. Note aquatic turtles and spotted sandpiper on float behind geese.

The second week of May was warm with little humidity. It was a pleasant time to be outside. Here’s a handful of sights that were witnessed during that period.

The six goslings which have been following their parents around the wetlands for the past week (first seen on May 2) still number six.

Butterflies are becoming easier to find as spring rolls along.

A beetle larva which looks somewhat like a millipede and is called a worm, a glowworm. The female retains its larval like structure while the adult male develops into the form of a beetle.

A green lizard.

Hearts-a-busting, or strawberry bush (Euonymus americanus) is in bloom. The tiny flowers are easy to miss as they are small and not brightly colored.

A spotted sandpiper stopped in for a brief visit on its migratory journey north.

And finally, if you have trouble telling apart our two young black bears (2 year old Murray and 4 year old Little), here’s a surefire way to do it. Look at their snouts. Murray’s snout is lighter in color and broader than Little’s pointy muzzle.

Though Murray’s mouth is slightly open in the photo above, making his muzzle look deeper than otherwise, you can still see that his snout is much brighter and more rotund.

Have a good week, and keep your eyes wide open.

Ranger Greg