The low water in the Wetlands is making it more difficult for the resident turtles to make their way around their old stomping grounds. It also makes it easier to see where they’ve been and where they were going by those who observe such things. Read more
Posts tagged: #Snapping Turtle
May Herpetological Happenings
Above: After successfully laying eggs, a yellow-bellied slider heads back into the pond. At this time of year many turtles are moving up to dry land to lay eggs. They turn up in the most peculiar of places in their quest for the perfect spot in which to dig a hole and lay their eggs (According to Ornithopter Operator, John Hammons, a Yellow-bellied Slider was found on the Ornithopter one May morning). Museum staff often encounter Yellow-bellied Turtles walking downRead more
Now Showing
During the past week many new flowers, animals and insects have appeared. First, a few plants. A few trees. Finally! After having seen damselflies emerge from the Wetlands since the 19th of March I was able to get a photo of one, a Fragile Forktail, another “punctuation mark” insect. Reptiles made themselves more available for viewing in the past week as well. Since March 10th when I saw the first Common Snapping Turtle of the season they have been out foragingRead more
Late Season Herps
The first couple of weeks in October were rather cloudy and wet. Whenever the sun did show itself, the turtles of the Wetlands took advantage of it by hauling out and basking in its warm rays. Young and old alike were out on all available perches. Mostly Yellow-bellied Turtles, but even a large snapper was spotted enjoying the brief bit of sun. The last few days of September and first couple of days of October brought many young treefrogs emergingRead more
Basking Sites at a Premium, Amphibs Exploit the Season
By the end of the first week of this period the Wetland’s turtles, frogs, and toads were out in numbers. Yellow-bellied Turtles and Painted Turtles were basking on logs, rocks and any other object projecting from the water, with little room to spare. The young Yellow-bellied Turtle in the image at left (perhaps a two-year-old) was lucky enough to find a perch all to itself on a piece of flotsam too small for other, larger turtles to climb onto. TheRead more
Baby Snapper and the Last Water Snake
A Snapping Turtle was rescued from the horseshoe shaped pond at Flap the Wings in Catch the Wind next to the Ornithopter. The turtle had found itself into the water filter basket of the pond, with no easy way out. This very young Snapping Turtle, only about 1.75 inches from the front of the shell to the back, was placed in the Wetlands. On the morning of November 1st, a Northern Water Snake was seen in the grass at theRead more
Tree-climbing Turtle, Snakes vs. Frogs
In a previous Journal entry (Explore the Wild Journal, July 1-15) I mentioned having seen a Stinkpot, or Eastern Musk Turtle, in the Wetlands. I also mentioned that they’ve been known to climb trees, as high as 6 feet up. On August 3rd I saw one in a Willow about 50 feet off the Wetlands Overlook (image below). However, this little turtle was only about 3 feet above the water’s surface. I saw a young Snapping Turtle (4-5 inches fromRead more
Storms Bring Out Frogs, Stinkpot Appears
The first week of this period brought daily thunderstorms towards the end of each day. Before each day’s rain, Gray and Green Tree Frogs and Narrow-mouthed Toads began calling from the dense cover surrounding the Wetlands. While it’s difficult to impossible to actually see it happening, many new eggs were being deposited in the Wetlands each night. On a smaller scale, and easier to see, small patches of eggs have been seen floating in the water of the U-shaped pondRead more