Turtles and, Oh Yeah, Spring!

Keep an eye out for turtles on the rocks and tree stumps in the Wetlands as you stroll through Explore the Wild. Yes, even in winter we see turtles out basking here at the Museum, especially on bright sunny days in the high fifties, sixties and above. It’s mostly sliders, but this past Tuesday (2/12) I even saw a painted turtle taking advantage of the relatively warm winter sunshine.

There were plenty of other basking perches available but for some reason these two sliders decided they wanted the same small rock.

This weekend is forecast to be quite chilly, so you may not see many of our Testudine friends out taking sun, but it’ll be a short couple of chilly days. Next week’s warmer weather may bring them out again.

And, you can be sure that from this day forward our chances of seeing turtles will increase as each days passes, it’s spring time! Well, maybe not according to the calendar, but things are changing quickly out there. Elms and Red Maples are blooming, Silky Willow has flower buds swelling as I write, and haven’t you heard the cardinals and titmice singing, the woodpeckers drumming, the chorus frogs calling?

2 responses to Turtles and, Oh Yeah, Spring!

  1. Leslie says:

    Chorus frogs were having a very loud party in the pond behind my house last night. Seemed chilly to me but they kept it up late!

    • Greg Dodge says:

      They were getting a bit rowdy at my house too. The only place that I’ve been hearing them consistently here at the Museum is at the U-shaped pond at Flap the Wings next to the Take Off in Catch the Wind. I think the temps this weekend will shut them down for a few days, but they’ll spring back with a vengeance next week!

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