Yellow-bellied Slider: Trachemys scripta scripta

It's a sure sign of spring. Yellow-bellied Sliders are crawling out of the water onto logs and basking in the sun. They will be a common site now until the water warms up to where they can float just submerged with their snouts sticking just above the water’s surface. Even on Saturday, I spooked a couple of submerged turtles when I passed close by.


It’s going to be a little tough on turtle sunbathing this year. In past years, trees at the water’s edge have been felled to attract fish. Turtles climb onto the trunk and branches that extend above the water to bask in the sun. This year many of these branches have disintegrated. Roosts are going to be a premium.

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