Wildflower Ride and a Reptile Friend

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Rode around 50 miles this morning but never got more than 20 miles from home. Wildflowers are blooming and the county will wait for the bloom to end before they mow. Blue Spiderworts are everywhere, Red Clover was about bloomed out and going to seed. About a mile from home I stopped at a Gopher Tortoise burrow and caught the occupant sunning at the opening. These reptiles are federally protected and their habitat is shrinking rapidly. I often find baby tortoises in my yard and move them before my dogs try to make a meal out of them. Their burrows are home to a host of specialized insects and amphibians that are dependent on the burrows. Burrows are also home to Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, largest venomous snake in North America and the Eastern Indigo Snake, largest native snake in North America and frequently preys on the rattlesnakes.









Just for ferret, an onion field ready to harvest.