Magic Turtles

Headed out to the Woods, the NW Trail, around 10, planning to clear most of the northwest trails of overgrowth. The Lonicera Japanese honeysuckle along the fence line was in full, sweet fragrant bloom. I'll have to watch to see who is pollinating.
I was met as I entered the Woods by a box turtle on the uphill slope 2m above the trail.
Trail sides were all very green with rapidly growing Cornus dogwood, Acer negundo box elder and a few others. At the NW Pond, north stepping stones, all was quiet. Nothing stirring the water. Heavy rain Friday night brought down many of the white and spotted catalpa blossoms. Cotton from the big cottonwood was floating down. The saturated ground looked to be a good germination bed. Perhaps now there will be hundreds of young cottonwoods.
Light honey brown 2-3 cm tall mushrooms are the most common. I cleared away overhanging branches and one box elder pinned across the trail by the fall of a big pecan snag. Water was flowing past Isld Crosssing but it was low enough for crossing.
On the return exit walk I was amazed to see not the one red-eared slider I hoped would be out basking, but seven of the same (or maybe eight), all sizes. One really large next to a smaller teacup size one. Where have these turtles been?
Parasitology student says they caught crayfish in the NW pond last few weeks.
By the north stepping stones to the NW Pond, there was a partial carcass.  Looked like a possum. Jaw bones and teeth were there and tail. Green bottle calliphorid flies, a couple of the big black staphylinid rove beetle Creophilus, several sepsid(?) small flies with semaphore wings were having a picnic. I saw one plump maggot scooting away. Diving beetles and young gerid at the East Pond..but on balance, few insects evident anywhere - no mosquitoes.