It was so cool the other day to see this eastern Box Turtle laying her eggs in the sand on the side of our house. We saw her when she was almost finished so we got to see her cover up the nest with sand and then hide it. She did an amazing job. You could never tell where she had been. (Click on blog link to see other photos.)
Good thing I marked it with sticks as it rained so hard that night it would have been hard to find. In order of photos: 1. Laying her eggs. 2. Filling the hole where the eggs were laid with sand. 3. Covering the entire area so it looks untouched. 4. Walking away from the nest into the woods, never to see them again. 5. Wire cage to protect the eggs and hatchlings.
It takes 70-90 days for the turtles to hatch, so it should be at the end of August to the middle of September. Because we don’t want any predators to get the eggs, Phil made a wire cage to protect them. So exciting! I can’t wait to see the little ones when they hatch. Two years ago we had 6 Eastern Box Turtle hatchlings in our yard. It was so cool and they were so tiny!
Such an interesting story! I wonder if the mother turtle returns every year to lay eggs in the same spot.
I wondered too. But looking at the photo of the turtle 2 years ago on my blog and the turtle this year, they are different turtles. You can tell by the markings on her shell.
How great that you and Phil have found a way to protect the eggs and hatchlings. I have had the privilege of watching this process many times in the courtyard at my school and it was extremely exciting!!