Momma Turtle

[Magicman]

This is the first time that I have actually seen a turtle laying eggs:

The ground was dry and hard so she had to have brought the water to soften the dirt and make the mud.

And this is what the "nest" looked like after she covered the eggs. Smooth and level.

"Several weeks after mating, a female digs a hole with her hind feet and deposits 6 to 10 eggs in it. The eggs incubate for 2 - 3 months and the young often stay in the nest over the winter, emerging the next spring."

 

[Nicfin36]

Very cool. I have seen box turtles around here a couple of times laying eggs and I have gone back to the location later and have been impressed how difficult it was to tell where the eggs were buried.

 

[GSD-Keegan]

Every year, around this time, we see turtles, both snappers and painted, traversing our property to the paved road gravel shoulders to lay their eggs. We have ponds and creeks nearby. For many years, we had a large snapping turtle travel the exact same route Every year. From the creek at the back of our property, along our wooded property line, across our paved driveway to roughly the same area of gravel shoulder at the front of our property to make her nest. I did investigate one year and found the eggs. Never did see them hatch…have rescued a few baby snappers tho. Apparently they like gravel road shoulders for it’s good drainage properties along with the added heat produced from the sun on the pavement. So far this year I have moved 5 painted turtles across the road, and also painted a road marker where one laid its eggs. Doing my darnedest to catch them when hatching and hope to get pics!

 

[GSD-Keegan]

A pic from this year

 

[ehenry]

MagicMan, I've seen this twice at my place. Once in middle of my wide open back yard and another by the ditch close to the road in front of the house. Was the same type turtle in your pic both times.

 

[DaveFromMi]

This guy was going south down the driveway.

 

[Magicman]

I had gone all of my life without seeing a turtle digging a nest and laying eggs and then saw another yesterday:

Her hind legs were steadily digging.