It seems that turtles have become quite the popular pet around the farm lately. A few weeks ago while I was mowing, I found not one, but two, beautiful box turtles. Our Chicken Girl was super excited. She quickly examined them to insure they had no injuries from the mower and then proceeded to tell me that one was a male and the other a female. I was most impressed with her knowledge of these cute little critters and was silently thumbing through my science folders in my brain trying to remember when we studied about turtles. Finally, I just asked her, "How do you know so much about turtles?" Her response was, "Mom, Noah and I watch the Discovery Channel a lot." Well, I guess that goes to show that not all TV is bad for you. At least she didn't say, "The Turtle Man"! Lol!
The Turtle Habitat
Hey, I can't get out!
I have to say, living on a farm really allows you to enjoy God's creations on such an up close and personal level. And in our case, seeing things through our children's eyes forces us to stop and really admire the intricate details that we as adults just take for granted. I mean, seriously, who knew what cool patterns and vibrant colors were on a turtle shell or how beautiful their eyes were, glowing like a bright orange sun. Oh, and then to watch them create their very cool grass caves to hide in, sticking their cute little heads out periodically to check things out or to see what treat was left for them. It is truly amazing to examine the complexity and sheer magnificence of God's awesome handy work.
Aren't they cool?!
Meet Steven
Merinda is a little shy
It was fun to spend time with these great creatures but after a month in the Turtle Habitat, it is time to say goodbye. Be free our friends and do what you do best, BE TURTLES! Lol!
And they are off!
Steven says he is headed to the woods
Merinda spotted Papa Roo's garden
As the title indicated, this post is all about turtles. There seems to be a direct correlation with the mower and turtles. Yes, you guessed it. As I was mowing yesterday I found, not one, but two, box turtles again! This time they were smaller. Who knows, maybe they are Steven and Merinda's offspring. Today we are going to put together a nice little Turtle Habitat for Little Bit and No Name (yet). It will be fun to enjoy them for a few days until we release them back into nature to do what they do best, BE BABY TURTLES!
Little Bit and No Name
The coolest turtle we came across is this beautiful, in it's on way, Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentine). Apparently the Common Snapping Turtle is an ancient species. supposedly, these creatures hung out with the dinosaurs, so says the internet. I can honestly say I have never seen a turtle this large living a life of freedom. It's pretty cool!
Mr. Snapper
Some people say turtles are slow, but the snapping turtle may say that people are the slow ones! This big guy or gal was crossing one of the country roads so we stopped to make sure he would not become road kill. I was laughing hysterically watching my son try to get it out of the road when my daughter piped up, "Mom, you should be video taping this!" Great advise because now I can laugh over and over again. Unfortunately, I didn't capture the moment when this turtle leapt off all fours and made a huge lunge at its rescuer. I don't think Turtle Man would have approved of our method but hey, the turtle did live to cross the road another day and in my book, that is a success story.
Next time you come across a turtle, I encourage you to stop and look at this magnificent critter through the eyes of a child!
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