Box Turtles Abound

In late April, as we were having the yard mulched, a box turtle was disturbed from his winter slumber. He was buried in a deep loose pile of leaf litter and it is definitely a male, identified by his red eye color.

A few weeks later, I found him with a female box turtle, identified by her lighter brown eye color. He had moved from the back yard to the front. Apparently, their territories are very small and range to just about 250 square yards.

He wedged himself first next to a rose bush and she then crawled on top. There intricate shell patterns and coloration are so unique.

This week, she is alone and meandering around, probably looking for grubs, worms or other tasty treats. Her plastron is flat and she is more domed in shape, all indicators that confirm she is a female. She is probably younger, too, because of her bright colorful shell.

This is a great site for further information:
http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/blog/tag/eastern-box-turtle/

If you find one, be sure to leave them in peace and in place. If moved, they can die.