Today, May 16, I saw two tiny Painted Turtles (hatchlings) on the Trans-Canada Trail east of the bridge at Lily Lake in the west end of Peterborough.
Sophie Monkman
Note: Baby Painted Turtles hatch out of eggs in the fall but don’t actually emerge fromj the ground until the following spring. They spend their first winter in the “nest.” All subsequent winters, however, are spent at the bottom of a pond or other body of water. According to Wikimedia, “The hatchling’s ability to survive winter in the nest has allowed the Painted Turtle to extend its range further north than any other Northe American turtle. The turtle is genetically adapted to survive extended periods of subfreezing temperatures with blood that can remain supercooled and skin that resists penetration from ice crystals in the surrounding ground.” D.M.
Painted Turtle hatchling – Wikimedia
