Download File

Help Us Protect the
Blanding’s Turtle in Oakland County
Have you ever seen a turtle in your
backyard digging a hole to lay eggs?
Maybe it was one of these:
Snapping Turtle
Painted Turtle
Box Turtle
Or perhaps it was this one:
This is the Blanding’s turtle. It is a Special Concern Species which means
it is particularly vulnerable, and could easily become, an endangered or
threatened species if we don’t help to protect it.
Here is the list of Species at Risk titles in the
order of least critical to MOST critical:
•Special Concern - A special concern species is any species that is
particularly vulnerable, and could easily become, an endangered or
threatened species.
•Threatened - A threatened species is a species likely, in the near future, to
become an endangered species within all or much of its range.
•Endangered - An endangered species is any type of plant or animal that is
in danger of disappearing forever.
•Extinct - If a species, or type, of plant or animal dies out completely, it
becomes extinct.
Females will lay their eggs between late May and
early June in moist sand in a sunny spot. Female
turtles lay their eggs in small cavities dug into the
sand, then bury and leave them on their own. Many
eggs become food for other species, but some
survive to hatch into baby turtles a couple of months
later.
The biggest threat
facing these turtles is
nest predation,
particularly by raccoons.
Raccoons are currently
overpopulated in the
state and they have
learned how to easily
track down turtle nests
and often eat all of the
eggs. This means very
few juvenile turtles join
the population.
One way we can help the Blanding’s Turtle is by protecting the
eggs with a nesting box like this one.
Notice the long metal flap along the front of the box. This
creates a door from which hatchlings can emerge but
prevents predators from reaching into the box.
If you spot a Blanding’s Turtle laying eggs in your backyard, let
Mrs. Lyon know, and she will get a turtle nesting box for you.
Leave some sort of marker on the site so you don’t forget
where it is (a stick or rock) but be sure NOT to disturb the eggs.
Click on the link below to learn how to identify the Blanding’s
Turtle. This video is narrated by our very own Brandon Schools
graduate, Phillip Reed.
http://www.nohlc.org/blandings-turtle.html
Credits:
http://www.nohlc.org/stewardship-notes.html
http://kids.britannica.com
www.allaboutanimals.org
https://wildsidemi.wordpress.com/2014/05/05
/michigan-turtles/
http://thechronicleherald.ca/sites/default/files
/imagecache/ch_article_main_image/articles/
BlandingsAdult.JPG