Turtles do not have calendars. There’s not enough room under their shells to store them. The warmth of the sun motivates the ectothermic reptiles. On cold days, they can’t even move. On warm days, they’re out and about.
The moderate temperatures of the past two days brought out the season's first red-eared slider at Ijams Nature Center. Educator Emily Boves was the first to spot it in the Plaza Pond. After spending the entire winter underwater, it was basking in the first sunlight it had seen in three or four months. Underwater in the cold, its heart barely beats, its metabolism slows and it's able to absorb enough oxygen from the water to meet its meager needs. To the slider, winter is just a long, long nap. I wonder: Does it dream turtle dreams?
Can you imagine what the sun must feel like after a season in the muck at the bottom of a pond?
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