Pillywiggins & A Painted Turtle Earth Day 2019

Mondays often elicit a groan but not this week. This Monday was special. It was Earth Day. The weather was beautiful. The Pillywiggins were out checking sites preparing for the arrival of spring's first blossoms. It was a busy day with several gardens to visit. Traveling between sites, Jason spotted this tiny painted turtle attempting to cross a busy road & quickly pulled over. A Pillywiggin always stops to lend nature a helping hand!

He was so small, about the size of a quarter. It's a wonder he was noticed at all. Jason placed the turtle inside the truck's cupholder & offered him a splash of water. Turtle had quite a distance yet to travel for water & safety but as luck would have it, Jason was on his way to a painted turtle's paradise. His next job site was a beautiful home down a quiet, private trail. A little stream snakes through a naturally wooded side yard connecting acres of swampy lowlands to a private beach on Lake Michigan.

Quiet waters with dense vegetation & plenty of rocks to bask in the sun are ideal habitats for Midland painted turtles. We hope Turtle does well in his new home.

Midland Painted Turtles:

• Existed 15 million years ago
• Are the most widespread native turtle in North America
• Can travel several miles in search of food, water or mates and they have homing capabilities based on visual recognition
• Are most vulnerable when young but can live to be 55+ years old in the wild
• Males reach sexual maturity in 2-9 years, females in 6-16 years
• Females grow larger than their male counterparts
• Painted turtles are unusually tolerant of pollution... but let's keep their home clean anyway!

Visit U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's "Tips for Helping a Turtle Cross the Road"
​CLICK HERE