Saturday, June 25, 2016

Painted Ladies, Lady Turtles, That Is

A couple of weeks ago, I joked that my workplace was looking like a maternity ward. Tonight, we received two more 'patients' in the ward... I was walking not too far from the location in which a large snapping turtle when I noticed a painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) laying her eggs in a nest she had dug out of a nice grassy spot:




In what is becoming a routine, I drove a stake into the ground at a short distance from the nest and laid a couple of parallel sticks flanking the nest in order to mark it so nobody runs a lawnmower over it. I then walked on a few paces and saw another painted turtle laying her eggs not far from her conspecific:




Here's a closer view of her head, note the yellow strips under her 'chin', which lend her species its common name:




Once again, I marked out the nest, then I sent a text message to the gentleman who is tomorrow's Manager on Duty. He's an animal lover, so he's as happy as I am about the beautiful mothers who happen to be raising their families on our property.

4 comments:

Smut Clyde said...

That turtle is insufficiently painted. Needs more graffiti.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Some turtles prefer tasteful tats, ruffian Clyde.
~

Unknown said...

I like your turtle mommy posts.

I assume this egg-laying has happened in previous years, too. Do you ever see the babies as they hatch?

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

That turtle is insufficiently painted. Needs more graffiti.

Smut... are you Banksy?

Some turtles prefer tasteful tats, ruffian Clyde.

Tatted turtles... who knew? What about turtle tramp stamps?

I assume this egg-laying has happened in previous years, too. Do you ever see the babies as they hatch?

Thanks, I've never seen them hatching, but I have seen them soon afterward. This year, I have better indications of where the nests are and when the eggs were laid, so I'll keep better tabs. Now I need a remote camera...