Box Turtle

Box turtle in Connetquot River State Park

Whenever I see a turtle, it makes my day, because all turtles fascinate me, although I admit that the box turtle is my favorite. Today during my walk I saw a box turtle and it reminded me of a charming narrative I had read in an old Forest and Stream publication:  “You will often have stumbled over box turtles in the woods—when they have seen you coming first and stopped crawling and gone into the house and perhaps shut the door—but to see one unconsciously travelling off through the woods, is to witness something that only Sir Reynard and the wood thrushes, or maybe the little old bewhiskered wood gnomes who sweep the rabbit paths and keep the woodland picked up and neat, are privileged to witness. You will be surprised at the number of interesting things you will see if you pussy-foot through the forests, instead of breaking all the twigs under your feet, keeping your eyes shut and your heart closed.”  I’m a very quiet walker but unfortunately, the box turtle I saw today spotted me before I saw him. He did not move as he watched me, observing him. Even so, just seeing a turtle makes my day, but if I saw a bewhiskered wood gnome sweeping the rabbit paths, now that would make my year.