I have heard that turtles return to the same area where they were born to lay their eggs, if at all possible. Other than initially thinking that was rather neat, I never thought much more about it. Then it occurred to me that this is a pretty incredible feat considering that it takes a good bit of memory. Think of how places change from our point of view. This must be astronomical in turtle's mind. Every day, here on the Bayou, something changes. Some of these changes are minor but others are pretty intense.
Just last week while I was raking, I found a tiny turtle that had obviously just hatched. The little guy was still not strong enough to be flung out in the "wild blue yonder", so I carefully placed the little one back to where I assumed I had so rudely disturbed it. Then I even put a good bunch of the old leaves back on top. So a coon would not sniff out my little friend, I put some heavy driftwood pieces around the turtle to give it a sporting change at escape from any enemies. I am happy to say that the little one survived and is now exploring the vast area under a non-used trailer.
Today, an adult turtle was prowling around the same place where I found the baby turtle. I figure this is Mama Turtle and she has returned to lay another batch of eggs. Of course, if one is highly sentimental, it might be said that she came back looking for her little ones. Nope. That did not happen. Mama Turtle has no clue whether any of her eggs even hatched. Once the egg-laying job is complete, she is on her way and never looks back....at least, not until it is time to lay again.
Whether today's turtle is the mama or even if it is female is beyond me. The thought simply came due to the mention that they always return to the same egg-laying site. On a happy note, box turtles do love apples! I shared mine with the one today and it looked totally appreciative. After the storms we had last night, I am sure the turtle was hungry.
My yard work is in full swing! Well, maybe I overdid it a bit today since that goofy knee is being rude again but a lot was accomplished! Perhaps, tomorrow I shall rest. Probably not but, at best, I will have to hobble about the place. Today, however, things went smoothly. The idea was to rake where I cut yesterday and to burn the leaves in the enclosed burn bin. That never happened. I raked. I hauled. Then, Son hauled...and hauled. He did not complain since we had good reason for not using the burn bin. It would have been cruel.
The early morning raking uncovered a sweet baby turtle. This was the tiniest thing ever and oh, so cute! That cuteness overload got me to thinking. If there was one baby turtle hiding in the leaves, how many more were there and just unseen? Oh, no!! A burn ban was self posted and the burn bin sat cold. Nary a wisp of smoke arose above the Little Bayou House. Instead, forty some odd times, the wheelbarrow was loaded and hauled to the back of the property. If a baby turtle or any other critter was inadvertently raked and scooped, it was moved to safety. There the little critters had a fighting chance to survive and not suffer an agonizing death by fire.
So, head's up, folks! While springtime gets us all antsy about making the yard look nice, please be on critter alert! Be nice to those little tykes hiding in the leaves. The leaves and yard debris provides a nice safe place for the babies to grow. They blend well and can hide from predators like coons, cats, snakes, crows and even squirrels!
The little turtle that was uncovered was put back in the same area where I uncovered it right after the photograph was taken. A large mound of leaves was scattered back out over the turtle to provide the coverage it sought in the first place. I figure that I can always go back and clean that spot after the little tyke grows a bit and goes on its merry way. Hopefully, the turtle will survive and learn that this crazy old lady meant it no harm. Perhaps, it will decide the yard is a pretty nice place to live.
