We've been driving back roads and have seen numerous HUGE turtles laying their eggs at the side of the road. This turtle was not as outgoing as the Snapper further down the road. She tucked back into her shell as soon as we came by. I initially thought she was a Painted Turtle, but someone else has suggested that she is a Blanding's Turtle. Except for the highly domed shell common to Blandings, I can certainly see that. She had dug quite a large, deep hole but we didn't stick around and bother her while she deposited her eggs. I have some cool close ups of her peeking out at me but chose this one instead, as I thought it would be interesting to show what she was up to. Not as pretty as yesterday's pic or as detailed as the day before but an interesting site I want to remember. Many thanks for dropping by.
Nice shot, we've had a bunch of them in our yard during the last few days! The snappers seem to stay closer to the water, but the painted ones come up into our driveway and yard.
My goodness, I had no idea turtles would dig out a safe place to lay eggs! I wonder if she buries them, or stays with them, after they've been laid? I agree with @falcon11, thank you for the science lesson!
