Backyard Box Turtle with Lee & Family

Check out this video about a backyard Eastern box turtle with Camp Director Lee Choubane and her family! Then join us in imagining what it’s like to be a box turtle out in nature.

Find a spot you can sit comfortably and quietly outside whether in your backyard, at a park, or anywhere else! We’re going to put ourselves into the world of a box turtle. If you can safely lie down (be careful of plants like poison ivy, and thorny briars) and get a turtle’s-eye-view of your surroundings, try that! 

Take a few moments to settle into your body, and focus on where you are. Feel the ground beneath you, and imagine what parts of your body would be touching the ground if you were a turtle exploring the world. Look around, slowly moving your eyes and head back and forth. Box turtles have wonderful eyesight, and have binocular vision just like we do. Take a deep breath, and pay attention to what you smell: box turtles use their sense of smell to learn about what is nearby in their environment. As you take in the smells of your environment, think about what you would need to live and thrive. Eastern box turtles are omnivores and plants and insects– where might you find those? They also avoid predators by burrowing into the ground; where would you want to do that here?

Keep observing your surroundings and imagine:

Where would you spend your time as a turtle? 

Where would you look for food? And what would you eat?

Who might your predators be, and where would you hide? 

What plants outside look like you? Where could you camouflage?

What might you do if it was too hot out, or too wet?

Where would you go to explore?