More Willie

I got out of the hospital early and stopped off at the first trail I saw. It was a scrub brush preservation area. “Perfect!” I thought. With storm clouds rapidly approaching I tore off my work shirt, grabbed my camera bag, and set off at a hurried pace onto the trail. I hadn’t made it 100 steps when I saw, there in the brush, a Vespa-tire sized Gopher tortoise.

I grabbed my camera and started clicking away. I had only snared a handful of shots when I felt the first drops of rain and heard the claps of thunder. Since the fire ants had already started to make a home under my clothes, I decided to call it quits and hightail it to my car.

Gopher tortoises are a native Floridian species that has been listed as threatened due to habitat destruction and are a keystone species since their burrows contribute to the habits of many other species. This was the first I had seen in the wild and despite getting a little wet and a little bitten, it was definitely worth it. I would have liked to lay on the ground long enough to get some more movement out of the turtle, but hey, as photographers we make the best out of what we are given. As always, I recommend clicking the “View on Black” link under each photo on Flickr to see the large version.

Flickr Set: Gopher Tortoise