WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE
Life in the
S-L-O-W lane
Box turtles are fascinating creatures that live fascinating lives, one step at a time. STORY AND PHOTOS BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS
L
ooking like a miniature army helmet with legs, box turtles are unique in that they are the most terrestrial of Ohio’s nearly one dozen turtle species. They get their name from the fact that they can literally “box themselves in” from predators, doing so by closing a hinged flap on their bottom shell tightly against their top shell. Consequently, a raccoon, possum, fox, skunk, or coyote may roll a box turtle around for a few minutes trying to figure out the puzzle, but the turtles are used to that. Once the predator gives up in frustration and moves on, life resumes its typical leisurely pace for the docile box turtle. Alan Walter of Carrollton has extensively studied the box turtles living on his property in eastern Ohio. Walter owns a 150-acre tree farm in Harrison County that he manages for timber and wildlife, so he has spent countless hours in the woods over the past 30 years.
10 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • APRIL 2021 10 OHIO
