Why did the turtle cross the road?

Watch out for mother turtles crossing the road during the summer when they seek higher ground to lay their eggs. Please avoid hitting them and if possible, you might want to help the turtle cross the road. But remember to always move turtles in the direction they are headed. If they are moved back to the side from which they were crossing, they will just try to cross the road again.

Once the eggs hatch be on the watch out for babies crossing the road headed for the water.

This large Snapper was spotted on June 19, 1997.

Painted Turtles are the most widespread turtle in North America. It is fond of basking and often dozens can be observed on a single log. Egg incubation averages 10 -11 weeks. Males reach maturity in 2-5 years; females in 4-8 years.

While the carapace (upper shell) is olive or black, the plastron (lower shell) can be yellow, unpatterned or intricately marked as pictured above.