Saturday, April 11, 2009

Happy Easter


From a bare spot on the bank,
a few feet above the water of the pond,
where the afternoon sun warms the dark earth,
the remnants of several torn white shells.

Floating easily at the surface below,
after what must have been quite a tumble,
the tiniest turtle I have ever seen.


Barely born,
another old soul.

Let me look at you,
detain you,
for just one moment, marvel,
before I send you on your way.


Painted Turtle hatchling, Chrysemys picta










Painted Turtle hatchling, Chrysemys picta
shell just a bit larger than a dime

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34 comments:

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

Gosh Nina, that's the cutest teeny little thing I've seen in ages!

Happy Easter to you and your family.

swamp4me said...

Don't you just love baby turtles? Think of all the obstacles one must overcome to make it to adulthood.

Barb said...

The hatchling seems to be marveling at you as you are marveling at it. These are fabulous pictures. Thank you for taking the time to look, see, and share.

NCmountainwoman said...

Wonderful post. Finding new life in spring is always fun and the little turtle is precious.

Have a wonderful Easter.

LauraHinNJ said...

Precious!

Kelly said...

...oh my goodness, he is too cute for words. Happy Easter!

Atelier de Soyun said...

My goodness~
Such a precious creature.
Thanks for sharing this.

abb said...

Just WONDERFUL!

Ginnymo said...

Awwwww!!! He's so cute Nina!!! What great photos!! I love turtles and have a big one myself. He's an African Sideneck. I've had him for 15 years. I really am enjoying your verse and photos!! Happy Easter!!

Robin said...

What a GREAT Easter post! I'm in love....

Anonymous said...

Perfect. Such a perfect little life.

Kim said...

Lovely prose and pictures Nina. I love the last one where it is perched near a leaf and staring up at the camera.

Happy Easter to you and your family.

Grizz………… said...

Happy Easter to you, too, Nina. What a adorable "old soul" of a painted turtle hatchling.

bobbie said...

Happy Easter, Nina.

Thank you for showing us this sweet, tiny creature.

Kathi said...

So dinky and so cute! I saw his bigger cousins at CNC yesterday.

~Kathi

Tom Arbour said...

Nina, happy Easter to you, and, fantastic. You know I'm a sucker for all things turtles.

TOm

giggles said...

Oh my GOSH! How lucky were you to find this hatchling?? (No. Really. I really want to know. How lucky were you? Have you ever found a newly hatched turtle before??)

nina at Nature Remains. said...

No, Giggles, not ever this tiny!
Always something wonderful, always.

Charles said...

How sweet!

zeladoniac said...

"Barely born, another old soul"; good line, great pics, cool post!

Crayons said...

Hi Nina
Everyone in the house enjoyed this post. I feel so humbled by this tiny exquisite creature. Thanks for finding and photographing him. Somehow he fits the title of your blog.

Les Barr said...

OMG! What a cute little thing! Wish I could capture something like that up here, but I just don't get to see them.

Endment said...

What a serendipity!
Does he have any friends - we have a lovely place in our pond :)

Susan Gets Native said...

OMG. Must show Isabelle and Lorelei immediately.

Wendy said...

Awww, what a cutie-pie!

Lisa at Greenbow said...

How sweet! I haven't seen a turtle this small since I was a child myself. This was better than finding easter eggs.

Julie Zickefoose said...

AGGGH!!!

"Old soul" must have been coined for turtles. Even this baby has a wise look. How perfect he is, how lovingly held and described. May he stay in the shallows and be safe until he's too big to mess with.

pineyflatwoodsgirl said...

Uh oh!Now you've gone and done it! This turtle will follow you everywhere for the next twenty five years! No...wait...that's ducks or chickens...

Sky said...

oh, my! what a delight to find these photos of this precious little turtle! i wish i had found such a magnificent spring gift. priceless.

Mary said...

Nina, this is the best. I would place him back to where he belongs, too. But, I really would love for you to bring me one to WVA :o) (joking)

Oh, I love the little things.

fudgelady said...

Too cute! I love the perspective shots that show me exactly how tiny he is! My son would have loved seeing him -- I'll have to share this page with him.

Lisa said...

Fantastic story and photos! I've never seen a turtle so small.
Lovely and oh so precious.

Cynthia said...

These pictures really brightened my day. That has got to be the cutest little thing I have ever seen. Absolutely love him and can't wait to show these pictures to my children.

Cynthia said...

P.S. I just clicked on the pictures to view them full size and it just amazes me how something so tiny can have such detail. Perfection.