Trundling Turtles

Set against a background of fallen leaves on the forest floor, the well-camouflaged box turtle can be difficult to see unless it’s moving. And even then, its forward progress may be slow enough for it to escape detection at a casual glance.

When I was young, box turtles were fairly common. However, they have become rare through the years as their woodland and field habitats have yielded to housing and commercial developments. They also fall easy victims to automobiles when their travels take them across roads and highways.

Box turtles played a significant role in the in the lives of the indigenous Lenape people who divided themselves into three clans – turtle, wolf and turkey. The turtle clan was considered the most important and usually the one from which the chief or sachem was chosen. Box turtle shells were also used to fashion ceremonial rattles. Of course, the turtle’s first contribution to his captors might have been at dinner.

The average life span of a box turtle is about 40 years, but individuals can reach the century mark. That’s one hundred years of feeding on fungi, berries, roots, slugs, worms, insects and even a few of its fellow vertebrates.