Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Rurality Hop: Mr. Box Turtle

Every year Hubby finds a box turtle in the yard as he did this past week. He always brings it to me and the turtle and I have a photo session on top of the hot tube cover.

I sit and wait patiently for the turtle to begin coming out of his shell.

Mr. Turtle (male as evidenced by his bright red eye) is content to pose for a few close ups before I return him to the yard in the place where we found him.  Eastern box turtles do not travel far, usually living within an area less than 200m in diameter. In cold climates they hibernate through the winter in loose soil at a depth of up to two feet. We might just see him again this summer.
Oh, if you think they are slow let me dispel that rumor. I put him back and was racking around a nearby tree. In less than five minutes he was gone without a trace!
Linking to Rurality Blog Hop.

29 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

so darn cute! and pretty, too!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

love those eyes. nice shots. ( :
did you name him?

Nicki said...

Great shots - neat red eye (not to be confused with those horrible all night ones - lol!).

Mei Ann Guerrero said...

Your patience paid off! What a cutie!

Linda said...

Lovely! I adore turtles.

Karen Lakis said...

He's cute - and has quite the red eyes. I had a pet turtle as a kid, which in retrospect seems kind of mean - but I really did love that turtle.

Red said...

I'm always curious about turtles as we don't have any here. We also have very few snakes as in garter snakes.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

He was playing Peek-a-boo with you. Love those red eyes.... Such a cutie...

Hugs,
Betsy

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

He's a charmer, for sure! I had no idea that only males had the red eyes. I always learn something new on your great blog, Carletta! I love his wrinkly neck and overbite. xoxo

Rose said...

Great photos...I am always amazed at how fast they can travel.

Gail Dixon said...

Oh he's a pretty boy! I did not know you could tell the sex by the eye color. Good for him that he's able to move fast. Predators will have a challenge with this one.

don said...

A fine close up of him in different poses. It's a fun photo opportunity since he's returned to his place in like at the end of the session.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

He's a handsome fellow and rewarded your patience by posing beautifully.

Kerri Farley said...

Oh what a cutie!

EG CameraGirl said...

Ha! They do move fast when they want to, don't they?

diane b said...

Love the big red eye. Oh to be able to hide in a shell and escape the world when it all gets too much.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

I've seen them take off - I didn't know they could move like that. I hate it when I see them on the road. I usually stop and move them to whichever side they are aiming for.

Fran said...

Great shots. He has really pretty eyes/eye.

Deanna said...

It sure was nice of him to stick around so you could take his picture. Did not know that the red eye indicated a male. Good to know!!

Anni said...

Love this...his eyes show a bit of trust and fear combined, does that make any sense?

Anonymous said...

Great shots! He's a beauty. .

SquirrelQueen said...

How nice of him to pose for you. He is one very handsome fellow.

Indrani said...

How Cool, it came out for a photography session with you. :)

eileeninmd said...

Carletta, glad he paid you a visit, cute shots of the turtle.

Unknown said...

Awesome shots! It was nice of him to pose for you.

Misty DawnS said...

Love the colors! Great photos

Amy Burzese said...

Great subject! One of my greatest childhood memories is of my yearly box turtle pet. I was allowed to keep it in a pen for a week or so and then I had to let it go. I sure hope I didn't harm them too badly keeping them in captivity!

kayerj said...

love this series of shots, such a unique subject.

Anonymous said...

Nice shots!! Love the Eatern Box Turtles. YOu drive looks similar to ours. We are on a mountain in upstate SOuth Carolina. I've see a few box turtles this year too.

Michael
A Few Pictures of Eastern Box Turtles