Is it a bug? Nope, it is Super Turtle!

I find the most unusual things about the Bayou.  Also, I find the most unusual things interesting.  A small turtle shell from an obviously dead turtle drew my attention away from fishing.  This tiny shell is only about four inches in length.  I assume that the little turtle died of natural causes as there was no trauma at all to the shell.  Well, I figured that I might as well pick up the shell and tote it back to the house.  This took place some about a year ago.  I had good intentions of showing the turtle shell to one of my young great-nephews.  He is always so interested in all things dealing with nature that I thought the shell could provide some learning opportunity.  Well, to be honest, I forgot about the shell.

Since this is October and since Halloween falls this month and since I am throwing a mystery party, I need decorations.  Yep, that turtle shell would suffice as part of the decorations.  My entryway has been turned into a "Bayou Shanty/Apothecary Room/Natural Science Lab.  The small room is filled with all sorts of herbs and found curiosities from the Bayou.  It provides a great effect for the party.  Anyway, that turtle shell came to mind.  I remembered that I had stuck it among some seashells and went to fetch it.  Hmmm!  The outer layer of the shell had peeled completely off the hard inner part.  All that was left was a beautifully cleaned, ivory colored shell complete with spikes!  Spikes?  I peered at the shell.  That is strange!  I do not remember spikes on the original but there were definitely spikes!  I assume that since the turtle was so young, its shell was still forming.  It must have been soft or leathery instead of completely hard.  The spikes or spines were the "ribs" of the shell. Now the turtle shell appeared somewhat reminiscent of a weird bug!  This was so perfect to add to my now creepy entryway.

 The small shell was glued into a shadowbox type frame and set on display.  It adds a good bit to the oddity of the room and even gives that creep factor when it is viewed as some large unknown critter!  Yep, strange things do lurk in the Bayou!  (Some just get a lot stranger after they are dead!)

Note:  I am not sure what happened to the color of the photograph when I inserted it into the text.  The background color is far from the brick red that it should be and the contrast is extremely strange!  I apologize.  No matter how many times I tried, it was magically transformed from the original color.