Not long ago, I saw a box turtle cruising down my row of blueberries. I think it was searching for an early berry that may have dropped to the ground.

The beautiful green luna moth clinging to the bark of a persimmon tree right in the middle of a trail in First Landing State Park was hard to miss. Named for Luna, Roman goddess of the moon, they fly only at night. With its gossamer green wings embellished by purple edges and clear eyespots, the luna looks as though it belongs with fairies, fireflies and other beauties of the night.

Jean and Ole Broughton were delighted to discover this spring that beautiful bright yellow prothonotary warblers were nesting in a bluebird house in their backyard on the North Landing River.

Visit the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and you will probably come away exhausted from nothing more than watching all that's going on. Spring is always a busy time in the aquarium's aviary along the Owls Creek shoreline. This time of year, most of the aviary residents are doing what comes naturally -mating, building nests and hatching babies.

If you haven't visited First Landing State Park, you might never know that Virginia Beach is considered the northernmost habitat for Spanish moss. Once you are inside the park, you'll see the silvery gray moss hanging from trees whenever you are near water and sometimes when you are not.

More than any other time I can remember, Earth Day - coming up Tuesday this year - is on everybody's minds. No matter what their political persuasion, most agree that something has to be done to combat global warming, to get rid of plastic bags, to protect wildlife habitats and to preserve our waterways. The list goes on and on.

After a grueling migration from Central America, the first hungry, tired hummingbirds are arriving in Hampton Roads, so it's high time to put your feeders out. Debbie Melton, who lives in Pungo, was the first to report one of the birds to me this spring. Since they are coming from the south, the feisty little hummers often arrive in Knotts Island and Pungo first.

The beautiful bunting - feathered in blue, red and green - arrives to dine among the commonplace chickadees, house finches, wrens and goldfinches at Vicki Dixon's feeder. It's so dazzling that even bright red cardinals pale in comparison.