Flashback: baby turtle

When I posted about the turtles mating in my garden last week, I was asked if I'd ever seen baby turtles in my garden. My response was "no", but I've found photographic evidence that I was mistaken.


To be clear though, back in July 2000 when these photos were taken I did not have a garden, just a regular suburban yard with lawn, trees, and a couple of shrubs. I still saw turtles even back then -- I suppose it was much easier to spot them without all of the pesky plants getting in the way.



***


It was my stepson that found this, and we made sure to document it with my ancient digital camera.


How about a grape?


Or some cantaloupe?


Yes please!

I'm not liking this too much...

Is this a 2-year old turtle?

...but I'm young and resilient.


Since box turtles can live 50 years or more, this could be one of the mature turtles I've just seen!

From Wikipedia:
Once maturity is reached, the chance of death seems not to increase with age. The survivorship curve of box turtles is therefore probably similar to that of other long-living turtles. The average life span of adult box turtles is 50 years, while a significant portion lives over 100 years. The age of a growing box turtle in the wild can be roughly estimated by counting the growth rings on the scutes; the plastron is the best place to do this because it also allows examination of wear pattern. However, the rate of 1 ring per growth season has not been fully confirmed, and estimates beyond 20 years are unreliable because the scutes is usually worn smooth.

I still want to see a baby or young turtle now, at the very least to get some photos with a modern camera. A newborn would be the absolute best find...

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Salty Pumpkin Studio  – (October 3, 2016 at 8:35 AM)  

Great pictures
I wish I had the photos of baby turtles that hatched at my parent's house years ago. I remember them as the size of a penny, but they're actually more like quarter size. If you find a sandy place in your garden, then that's where most likely a nest will be. I've seen painted turtles use sand on the side of the road for their nest. 2"x4" frame covered with hardware cloth over the nest with a huge rock to keep varmits out will help the eggs survive.

outlawgardener  – (October 3, 2016 at 9:12 AM)  

So sweet! Fingers crossed for you to find more babies. I've never seen turtles here in the city. They probably don't like traffic much.

RichieNJ  – (October 4, 2016 at 7:19 AM)  

LOVE this post. Now I want a turtle. LOL

Anonymous –   – (October 5, 2016 at 8:39 PM)  

Adorable!!!

Unknown  – (December 29, 2018 at 8:01 PM)  

Do you know kind of turtle that is?

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