Meet Virginia!

  Over the years, I have written a lot about the turtles and tortoises that roam the marshes, woods and creek bed.  It seems that the area is a favorite place for many different kinds.  Every type from snapping turtles to box turtles make their home here.  All this is good as the critters are some of the better ones to have around the place.  They eat a lot of things that would otherwise make the place not as comfortable.  They are not picky eaters for sure.  I have also written a lot about critter instincts and learned behaviors.  Our friendly turtles have both.  While some folks may make claims that "learned" behavior is pushing the limit when applying to turtles, I beg to differ.  They can and do learn.  It has been proven that turtles have long memories when it comes to feeding spots. They had to learn that spot before it could become a memory.

  Years ago, an elderly neighbor lady, Ms. Virginia, used to feed turtles that were in her yard.  She, too, lived near a bayou and had dozens of fine turtles.  Each morning, she would go to her back door to find many turtles had come to dine so she started buying containers of chicken livers to feed them.  She claimed that the livers were a favorite among the turtles but I never could quite understand how they might obtain those in the wild. Still, her turtle friends had learned to wait at the door until Ms. Virginia brought them breakfast.  After they ate, they would go on about their merry way until the next morning.  I was fortunate enough to "help" Ms. Virginia feed her turtles on several occasions when I was just a child.  It made a huge impression on me and was one of my lessons on respecting all critters.  

 My turtles, on the other hand, eat more fruit and veggies.  These are remnants from the garden and food preparation that are tossed into the compost pile.  Occasionally, there may be an odd piece of meat but, on a whole, the critters are on a vegetarian diet.  Among the several turtles that visit the compost on a daily basis, one is a nice sized box turtle.  This turtle has been around the Bayou for years and seems to appreciate the readily available foodstuffs that can be found in the compost.  Here recently, I have started calling it "Virginia" after the dear old lady from my childhood.  The idea behind this came from the fact that I recall that Ms. Virginia loved strawberries and this turtle seems to think that strawberries are a special treat.  While I am not too sure that Ms. Virginia would appreciate having a turtle named after her, I am quite sure that she would be pleased knowing that her lessons about respecting animals were remembered.