Snakes and bears oh my!

I found my first N. Watersnake of the year.  What a large beauty. Its rare that I see the older ones as colorful as this snake.  Most are almost black.  I also came across a 5 foot long skeleton of a Black Rat snake. I have a feeling someone killed the poor thing. I could see pieces of what would have been a shed skin.  So many people still kill snakes for no reason.  Truly sad for the snake and for those of us that enjoy seeing them. This skeleton was found where last year I saw a beautiful Black snake. 

My hike got even better, I noticed a bear had recently crossed the trail right in front of us.  I love knowing that we are sharing the forest with them. 

This little one caught my eye. Last years baby. The new tiny toads of the year are already on land.  There is only one spot that still has tadpoles developing.  The puddles are full of grey tree frog tadpoles now and my pond has lots of eggs.  The males have been out singing every night for more then a week.