Possumhaw: Slow goes the turtle
By Shannon Bardwell May 10, 2021
“Gypsy was the name my brother gave a pet turtle he had. I always thought it was so peculiar.”
— Joel Hodgson-American writer, comedian, TV actor. Age 61.
‘Tis the season for the annual box turtle migration. Remember when after a spring/summer thunderstorm sidewalks would be littered with red squiggly worms. One would practically have to play hopscotch to avoid them. Box turtles enjoy the same delight as they inch there way out of their usual habitat and onto highways, byways, pavements, and gravel roads after a thunderstorm. So far this season I have seen three crossing the road from a wooded area to another wooded area. I’m always tempted to turn around and put the little fellow into a safer environment. Usually when you do turn around the box turtle is gone. On a couple occasions, I managed to gingerly rescue the crossing turtle from our road and put it in the garden where I thought the turtle would be safe and happy. The garden has a wooden fence enclosure. I even made a little shelter according to a box turtle website only to find by the next day the fellow had vanished