The Nursery!

   It has been hot here.  Usually, the heat does not bother me but it sure bothers my plants.  Even though it has been raining a lot, the ground is parched.  Potted plants are extremely in danger of being dried by the heat so, each morning, I drag the water hose about the place and give things a drink.  This morning, I was surprised by a critter in the Small Gardens.  Just a few feet from my old wicker chair, a mama pond slider had dug her hole and was laying eggs!  Babies will be born in the Small Gardens in a few months!

I had not expected the turtle to be so near the house.  In fact, I was not being watchful at all and almost stepped on the poor critter.  She never budged.  After all, she was busy!  When I noticed her, the watering stopped and I vacated the area so as to not disturb her any more than I already had.  Mama turtle finished laying the eggs and covered her nest.  She, then, started making her way back to the marshes.  She will never know her little ones as turtles do not "mother" their offspring. Once she lays the eggs, she never looks back. A lot of the nests are raided by coons, possums and coyotes.   After hatching, the little tykes are on their own in a world filled with predators.  Just about any hungry critter can overpower a tiny two inch long turtle. 

  The feeling of "mothering" overtook me.  Since these eggs (and baby turtles) are basically motherless, I needed to do something to make ME feel better about their safety.  Several bricks were spaced around the nest and a heavy, ornate cast iron grating was placed on top.  The bricks elevated the grating enough that the tiny turtle can dig out from their nest but will provide some protection from digging predators.  Hopefully, the tiny turtles will hatch and survive!  Personally, I wish they would stay in the Frog Pond or Puddle Pond!  How fun would that be?