old man turtle

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“The turtle—silent in the autumn-morning mist. Gold lion paws are printed on his shell. On his head. His eyes are red. But gold is what you see. Gold leaf prints, lion’s paws. His ancient snaky head is wet. His shell is wet. He’s beautiful and big. He’s old and bright and washed by rain. His saurian feet are spotted gold, and scratch the cool and mossy stones. Old man, I love you in this autumn mist! I stand there staring at that shell as though I’d found a mound of gold. It’s that remarkable.

"He draws his head inside. He’s had enough.”



Old man is correct. Box turtles can live 140 years, probably even longer.

-Quote from “The Inland Island” by Josephine Johnson

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show & tell

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Yesterday was Show & Tell Saturday at the nature center.

At 11 a.m., I led a group, the Weekend Academy (pictured above), on a spring wildflower walk. At 1 p.m. part-time vet Dr Louise Conrad unveiled our newest education animal, a baby albino box turtle (pictured below); and at 3 p.m. wildlife biologist Pam Petko-Seus, fed the snapping turtle in the exhibit hall for all to see.

A beautiful day to be at Ijams. A good time was had by all.




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on a mission

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A box turtle trundled by the Visitor Center at Ijams the other day. It seemed somewhat purposeful, as to its mission, I know not what. It kept its cards close to its chest, although in this case, I think they are called the pectoral scutes.

The temperatures are dropping, it certainly feels like autumn. The nights are colder.

Eastern box turtles are the only land-based turtle in our valley. By winter, they will find places under a log or a pile of leaves to spend the cold weather months.

Winter will pass for them as though they were in a dream.

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they're not pets

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Look at this sweet face. Would you do anything to harm it?

Lately, we've been getting several telephone calls at the nature center about box turtles. It's the summer season, it's hot, and the brightly patterned reptiles are out and about.

They are not lost! They are just a bit more active when it's warm. Nesting season should be over but there could even be a little of that spreading the old gene pool around going on out there.

In the state of Tennessee all reptiles are protected. You cannot bring them indoors and turn them into pets. Box turtles can live 130 years or more and that is quite a commitment. Don’t take away their freedom. Would you want to spend the next 100 years inside a cramped glass enclosure?

To quote one of my readers, "Wild box turtles often die in captivity because their needs—dietary and environmental—are not being met. This can even take a couple of years, and the decline may not be obvious." You would be sentencing them to a slow death.

I've also heard reports of box turtles that look sick, with growths or abscesses. If you find a sick-looking turtle take it to The University of Tennessee Veterinary Hospital on Neyland Drive. They are the experts. Please, don't try to treat it yourself.

(This post was prompted by a woman I talked to who felt strongly that she could cure a sick box turtle and keep it despite my telling her she could and should do neither.)

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motherhood

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The single most important thing a mother turtle can do for her offspring is to find some out-of-the-way place to bury her clutch of eggs. Therefore, hiding the nest is essential.

Using only their hind legs and feet, female box turtles take hours digging a nest hole for their eggs.

Shortly after arriving at work, Sarah Brobst, an educator at Ijams Nature Center, discovered a soon-to-be-mother at work just outside her office window. She was hidden from the world by rocks and shrubs; little did she know there was a window behind her. Observing such natural events is rare. Kara Remington and other staff members took turns on the vigil. It was an all day affair and it was laborious!

How many eggs did she ultimately lay? For the complete story go to box turtle digs on the farragutpress web site.