We haven’t seen many turtles lately, but within the last week we (or I) saw two on Fouche Gap Road. The first one was immobile but apparently trying to cross the road near the bottom of the mountain.
We stopped so that I could move it out of the road. At first, from a distance, I thought it was a snapping turtle because it seemed to have such a flat back. Up closer I realized it wasn’t a snapper. It was a full hand-span wide. I put it at the closer side of the road, but Leah and I both worried that it was going to head back out into the road after we left. Fortunately, there was no sign of it when we came back home.
Monday morning Zeke found another turtle closer to the top of the mountain.
Zeke is a good turtle hound.
This one was safely in the weeds, so I didn’t bother him/her. Here’s a closer shot.
Maybe two turtles doesn’t qualify as “turtles all the way down” but two within a few days is a lot for up here.
Really great to see those two turtles there. Makes me wonder if there are any turtles here on the north coast. I sure would like to see one or two!
I seem to see a bunch of turtles all on one day and the go months without seeing any.
Robin — We saw a third one a couple of days ago. It was scooting across Huffaker Road so fast I didn’t realize it was a turtle.
Pablo — They are sometimes hard to see. You need a good turtle hound.
I can’t identify the first turtle, but the second is an Eastern Box Turtle.
When Kali and I visited Arkansas about a decade ago, we were driving on rural roads near the Buffalo National River. During one morning’s drive, we moved no less than 40 Box Turtles off the road. If any of the locals saw us, they must have thought we were crazy touristas. I guess we were.