It was so cool the other day to see this eastern Box Turtle laying her eggs in the sand on the side of our house. We saw her when she was almost finished so we got to see her cover up the nest with sand and then hide it. She did an amazing job. You could never tell where she had been. (Click on blog link to see other photos.)
Good thing I marked it with sticks as it rained so hard that night it would have been hard to find. In order of photos: 1. Laying her eggs. 2. Filling the hole where the eggs were laid with sand. 3. Covering the entire area so it looks untouched. 4. Walking away from the nest into the woods, never to see them again. 5. Wire cage to protect the eggs and hatchlings.
It takes 70-90 days for the turtles to hatch, so it should be at the end of August to the middle of September. Because we don’t want any predators to get the eggs, Phil made a wire cage to protect them. So exciting! I can’t wait to see the little ones when they hatch. Two years ago we had 6 Eastern Box Turtle hatchlings in our yard. It was so cool and they were so tiny!
The CG36500 is the famous Coast Guard boat that was depicted in the Disney movie, The Finest Hours, because of its incredible rescue of 32 crewmen from a sinking ship off of the coast of Cape Cod in 1952.
During the summer you can go on board and see where those 32 crewmen survived. It is worth the trip just to see the boat. If you haven’t watched the movie, put that on your list too! It’s truly amazing!
The little, bell-shaped pinkish-white, waxy flowers on the Bearberry plants on Cape Cod are so pretty… and so delicate. These pretty little flowers turn into bright red berries in the fall and winter.
Bearberry is a low-growing ground cover that you can find along the roadsides and many of the trails on Cape Cod. Its teardrop-shaped, leathery leaves are dark green. You can find the white or pale pink flowers between March and June, so you still have a little time.
The Beech Forest Trail, part of the National Seashore, is a wonderful trail to hike any time of the year. There is always something to see and the trail is wide enough so you don’t have to worry about poison ivy and ticks in the summer. (Click on blog link for other photos.)
You walk around a good-sized pond with another pond off the trail. There’s a boardwalk to meander on that you can see in the 3rd photo.
Most of the trail is sand with the dunes nearby.
Have you ever hiked the Beech Forest Trail? Well worth the hike as you never know what you will see… birds, wildflowers, wildlife, butterflies. Its different each time!
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
