My First Turtle in the Wild

I finally photographed my first turtle in the wild!

I was out walking along a quiet harbor and saw something that seemed to be floating in the water.  Then I noticed that it was moving too fast to just be floating.  I stopped to watch it and realized it was a turtle's head!

I inched closer and photographed the critter.  I didn't know if my photos would show much at all, but when I got home I saw that you could actually see the turtle's shell and feet through the haze of the water.

The turtle was very wary and soon dove for the bottom with a big splash.  I stood still and quiet,  watching for several minutes, but had no luck.  I scanned up and down the shoreline, and way out into the middle of the harbor.  It did not surface again that I could see.  I continued my walk, thinking I probably did not have good enough pictures to identify what kind of turtle it was.

Upon coming back by the harbor on my way out of the park, I walked slowly and scanned the rocky shoreline, hoping against hope to see the reptile.  Knowing how well animals are camouflaged, however, I didn't have much hope.

And then, there it was - sunning itself on a rock!  I began photographing like he was a rock star!  I didn't get much chance, since he slipped into the water again and disappeared.

So here he is - my first turtle in the wild - in all his unsubmerged glory!

This is a painted turtle.  These are the most common turtles in the U.S., in spite of the predation that their nests often undergo by raccoons, snakes and rodents.  Unlike some others of their kind, painted turtles can right themselves when they've been flipped onto their backs.

Their name, Chrysemys picta, comes from the Greek word for gold which is "chryso" and the Latin word for colored, which is "pictus".  These word roots are used in other familiar words, such as chrysalis, and pictograph.

There are four varieties of painted turtles -  the Eastern, Midland, Southern, and Western.  Mine is a Midland turtle, as you can tell by his more dull, grey shell and the lack of distinguishing features that make the other varieties so easy to identify.