The Turtle Log: First Turtles of Spring

March 03, 2008

First Turtles of Spring

With pockets of ice still holding on in this Connecticut swamp, the first Eastern Painted Turtles, Chrysemys picta picta, haul out onto logs and tussocks to bask in the still weak sun.

Painted turtles are champions of cold weather activity. Lazell, in his book, The Broken Archipelago, writes of seeing them swim under the ice. Hatchlings often overwinter in the nest, miraculously withstanding freezing temperatures just a few inches below the surface.

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Comments

mine are still in their dens here in Tennesse.they`ll be out in 2 weeks.

Posted by: jaryn | February 13, 2010 at 08:01 PM

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Musk Turtles

Agriculture's Toll on Wood Turtles

Agriculture, especially haying, takes a heavy toll on wood turtles, which spend much of their time in fields. In Massachusetts, July 2005, Female #104 was hit by a hay mower. These photos document efforts to save her. She died on August 4th. What is the solution? The turtles are all but invisible deep in the grass. The saying that you have to "make hay while the sun shines," is true. Farmers have to hay, plow, etc when conditions are right. Warning: These are graphic photos of a wounded turtle.