Turtle Rescue Quiz

This is WAY late in the year for my first turtle rescue. I guess I just haven't been driving where the turtles were crossing. But this was a great one.

Let's play a guessing game. What kind of turtle is this? Well, it's a fast one. After I picked it up out of the middle of the road and took it to the side where it was headed, it moved off into the woods faster than you would think possible.

You might be able to ID it from that picture if you really know your turtles, but this should help. What do you see about the shell? It's got a fairly high dome, and it has little spots. The fact that it's pretty clean helps with that ability. So often they are muddy or covered in duckweed.

How about the underside? The plastron has this pattern.

How about a look at the head? Nope.

Well, maybe just a little bit. And now, you can see the definitive ID criteria. Just barely.

Did you see it? That bright yellow chin will tell you for sure it's a Blanding's Turtle, Emydoidea blandingii. They are at least "Of Special Concern" in Michigan. Wikipedia lists them as Endangered, but the MSU web page does not show them with that status. They can stretch that neck out very far so that they almost look like a dinosaur. This one did so once, but I couldn't move fast enough to get a picture.

The thing is, Mason County is a bit of a hot spot for them. I see them quite often, and I've seen big ones. I'm sure the first one I ever saw was a rival for the state record. And you can see that this one is not small. Maybe 9-inch shell front to back which is fairly large, so maybe it's a female.

The oldest one known is 90 years old, and still laying eggs.

The DNR says Michigan has 10 species of turtle. I've seen 6 (maybe 7) of them in the wild. Pretty cool!

We had some good rain today, but I managed to walk to the post office this afternoon- 2.5 miles. Worked pretty solidly on a number of projects.

Miles hiked in 2025: 356.8.

See First Turtle Rescue 2017

Spring at Shagway

 
Today was another work day at Shagway Arts Barn. The barn is not going to have a regular arts store this season. Too much work, not enough volunteers, basically. But there will be live music, vendor events, and it's always available to rent. There are short, dog-friendly trails that can be walked any time.

We are cleaning, getting rid of a lot of display rack type "furniture," etc. I went out to work on the trails. Am going to make a little map for people to use.

The entrance was cheery with Glory of the Snow (Chinodoxa) blooming among the rocks.



How about a closer look? They are one of my favorites, with such a clear blue.



This pond is just down the road. Mr. & Mrs. Mallard seemed to be looking for a nest site.



And this is the first turtle of the year, and the first turtle rescue of the year. A painted turtle, too scared to take a peek. But s/he's now off the pavement. Kind of a little one. Nice to see it.



In other news: I worked on North Country Quest in the morning, and on the Shagway Trail Map when I got home. Not much else to report.

	See Wildlife of the Day See First Turtle, First Rescue 2017
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First Turtle, First Rescue

 
The first turtle of the year was nearly a disaster. I realized too late that the dark spot in the road was a turtle, so I straddled it. Then I stopped and went back (this was Saturday).

It was a Blanding's Turtle! That was my first turtle sighting of last year too, but in a much different place. The frequency with which I see this species continues to amaze me. They are considered "of special concern" in Michigan, although the Great Lakes is their primary area. In many states they are actually endangered.



The only other Blanding's turtle's I've held were captive ones for educational purposes. They usually keep themselves well surrounded by water. But apparently they will roam when looking for nest sites.

You can just barely see the spotting on the shell, especially on the front right where there's less mud.



And the plastron pattern is typical.



Anyway, I try to move turtles to the side of the road in which they were headed before they get smashed. It was especially gratifying that it was something more rare than a painted turtle. There are some drivers who seem to go out of their way to run over them. I hope this one lives to lay its eggs.

She was pretty big; about eight inches long.

On Sunday, I saw some painted turtles sunning. They slipped off their logs before I could snap their pictures.

	See First Turtles of 2016
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