turtle

Adolescent Eastern Box Turtle /  by Todd Henson

Our first view of an adolescent eastern box turtle

My father has great eyes for noticing interesting things on the trail, and while hiking Sky Meadows State Park in Virginia he saw a young eastern box turtle right on the trail. We could easily have stepped on it if he hadn’t noticed it as soon as he did.

Getting closer to eye-level with the young eastern box turtle

Unfortunately, right after he noticed it we heard what sounded like the barking of a dog not too far ahead on the trail, and we had run into some hikers with their dog when we first set out. So I quickly got down and attempted to capture a number of photos of this beautiful turtle from several angles. Then I did something I rarely do as I hate directly interfering with nature. I picked up the young box turtle and gently placed it in the brush a little ways off the trail hoping it would minimize the risk of dogs finding and injuring it or of hikers accidentally stepping on it if they didn’t see it.

Getting a front view of the young eastern box turtle.

Not long after I moved the turtle a single person came down the trail and walked by us. We stood by the turtle for a little while in case a dog showed up so we could keep them from sniffing around the turtle, but no dogs showed up. We then wondered if that person had been practicing his dog calls. :-) Either way, we walked on, leaving the young eastern box turtle in peace.

Looking down on the young eastern box turtle shows the beautiful patterns on its shell.

This wasn’t the youngest turtle I’ve ever seen, as I my father and I have seen a newly hatched snapping turtle walking on the trail towards water. But this was certainly the youngest eastern box turtle I’ve seen so far, though I don’t know how old it is. Look at the bright and beautiful patterns on its shell.

I tried to help the young eastern box turtle blend in to better protect it from whatever might be coming down the trail.

Do you have any box turtle stories to tell? I’d love to hear about them.

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Snapping Turtle Pair in Late August /  by Todd Henson

A pair of Snapping Turtles that appear to be mating in the water. We can see how the male clutches onto the female.

In a recent post we took a look at a small Snapping Turtle hatchling fresh out of the nest. This time we take a look at a pair of adult Snapping Turtles, likely mating. Typically mating occurs in the spring in Virginia, but it can also occur in the fall, as seen in these photos.

I like the interesting patterns of the Snapping Turtles and their reflections.

We only see the male Snapping Turtle clearly in these images, but you can see portions of the female, such as her shell and leg sticking out of the water just under the male. He latches on to her with his claws, which are clearly visible in a couple photos. I don’t know how long this went on for, but the photos in this post span about a 15 minute time frame.

The reflections help create some interesting compositions, here with the male Snapping Turtle angled in the water above the female.

These adults are much larger than the hatchling. Whereas the hatchling’s shell was probably about an inch in length, the adults average 8 - 14 inches and have been seen over 18 inches in Virginia. Factor in their legs, tail, and outstretched head, and they can be quite an imposing sight. But as with most other species, I never tire of them, and I’m always pleased when I have the chance to observe and photograph them.

The male Snapping Turtle peeks its head above the water.

To learn more about Snapping Turtles, especially in Virginia, head over to the Virginia Herpetological Society. They have lots of great info on all sorts of reptiles and amphibians in Virginia.

Keep Climbing! /  by Todd Henson