2005 APRIL (A)

PAINTED TURTLE

Lee inspects a Painted Turtle. Kendaville (Kendalville) Rd. and N. Hillman Rd, Six Lakes, Michigan.


Driving along we spied this Painted Turtle crossing the dirt N. Hillman Road between two small marshes. A fun sign of spring that the weather has warmed enough for these little guys to surface from their underwater hibernation beneath the muddy bottom. Although air breathing animals, in winter hibernation the cold blooded Painted Turtle's metabolism slows to one heart beat every 10 minutes and they have an adaptation that allows them to absorb the necessary oxygen through their skin from the water. Their body skin is dark green with red and yellow stripes earning them their name. They are Michigan's most common turtle and are found everywhere in the USA. They don't bite and make good pets but the thought of taking him felt like pruning new buds so we just helped him across the road.

early spring --
startled by the sound
of frogs