This summer has been a dry one and the recent fall rains have not done much to replenish the water in the local marshes. Recently I came across this snapping turtle in a sunny area relatively far from the water. The turtle looked like he was starting to dry out a little and I feared that he might be trouble. Fortunately, when I came back a little later, he had disappeared, presumably to another location with water, or at least shade.
I love the amazing texture of the neck area and even the head of the snapping turtle. I considered doing this photo in black and white to emphasize that texture, but would have lost the beautiful gold circles in his eyes and the green of the plants that make a semi-circle around his face.
When I gaze into the eyes of this snapping turtle, I am reminded of Yoda, the wizened sage of Star Wars, who had seen a lot during his nine hundred years. The turtle also seems to have the bemused, yet sad expression on his face that Yoda displayed when he was trying to train the young, impatient Luke Skywalker and said these words:
“Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away… to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh. Excitement. Heh. A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless.” (quote from imbd.com)
Snapping turtle on dry land
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
He looks plenty big enough to take off a finger. Or two.
Indeed. There was no way in which I was going to help to relocate him, even if I had determined he was in trouble. It is at times like this that I am happy to have a telephoto lens.
LOL, he does remind of Yoda, he has the same expression on his face! Great shot, Mike, I’m glad you kept the color.
And I’m always happy to see that some folks read what I write (while others are content to merely peruse the pictures). (I may play around still with black and white just for fun, but I too think I made the right choice to post the one that I did.)
I always read your posts- they make me smile, laugh, wonder, and occasionally freak me out 😉 And I learn so many new things about all sorts of things!
Similar problem here with drought but all the snappers I’ve seen are buried in mud where they can find it. Nice detail with this image.
What a beast, they have my healthy respect!