Today I turned the corner onto a side street and saw a dinner plate-size, yellow-bellied turtle in my lane trying to cross the road. I stopped the car. Bill who has a bad back, achy knees, and uses a cane, said, "You are going to cause a wreck over a turtle," before he slid out, bent down, and plopped that big guy in tall grass far from the road. He's no teenager. He's no mutant. He's no Ninja, but my honey is MY HERO!
When I was small, baby turtles the size of quarters or half-dollar coins, could be purchased as pets from dime stores. Sales were discontuinued when it was discovered they carried samonella.
When my son was about eight, he rescued a box turtle from the country. We named it Speedy, because that critter could make it to the back gate in a flash. A few weeks later we returned it to the original spot. it never did its job anyway. We watched a water bug climb out of the sewer and over Speedy's shell.
Don't relocate turtles to new areas, even if you think their current location is odd (unless it is obviously hazardous, such as a busy parking lot). Moving them to an unfamiliar location can subject them to foreign diseases and parasites that they lack a natural immunity to, so that should be avoided.
A group of turtles is called a bale (ever seen a group piled on a log) or dole.
3 comments:
I liked your turtle story today, Linda. Turtles have always fascinated me, although I don't think I'd want one for a bet. I can't believe they were only the size of a quarter when you saw them for sale growing up. They move so slowly, and I just saw a a turtle's head pop out close-up on a friend's blog recently. It was a sight!
~Sheri
oooops, I meant want one for a pet. Just woke up from a nap and still tired from my road trip haha.
I am imagining a slow-speed race, with Hero Bill chasing that turtle to grab him and move him off the road!
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