Kevin Lewis Reptiles

Blandings Turtles

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In spring of 2023 I decided to try finding Blandings turtles. My usual hiking route is not along the areas where they are known to exist. Images of the species showed it often basking in wetlands and sometimes alongside painted turtles. A fair number also were shown as taken while the turtles were moving away from wetlands along roadways. The trees had buds and the skunk cabbage was out but most foilage was not out yet. The nighttime temperatures were cool  but the sun had come out and I saw muskrats, possibly beavers, garter snakes, and a large number of painted turtles. Unfortunately, using binoculars to check the swamp edges, logs, and shrubs had not revealed any blandings turtles. As fate would have it, I came across another hiker who told me they should be coming out of the vernal pools and making their way to the main swamps.  This turned out to be a valuable tip as scouting the vernal pools I saw two turtles. The first disappeared into the dark water,  but the second was making its way out of the vernal pools and provided the best look at a Blandings of the day. I continued searching in a larger body of water, hoping to capture one basking. As luck would have it, I found one with a painted turtle basking on top of it!

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Picture
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  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Life Lists >
      • Captives
  • Care
    • DIY >
      • DIY Sterilite Lizard Enclosures
      • Easiest DIY Rack for Large Rubs
    • Health >
      • Mites
      • Preventing Disaster
    • Mammals >
      • Flying Squirrels
    • Ratsnakes >
      • Ptyas mocusa
      • Black Copper Ratsnake
      • Diadem Ratsnakes
      • Trinket Snakes
      • Thai Red Mountain Ratsnake
      • Mandarin Ratsnake
    • Lizards >
      • Banded Geckos
      • Chinese Cave Geckos
      • Ocelatted skinks
      • Lizard Care (General)
    • Recommended Tools
    • Egg Eating Snakes
    • Amphibians >
      • Aquatic Live Foods
    • Feeders >
      • Raising Feeder Mice
  • Field Herping
    • Basic Concepts
    • Northeast USA >
      • Blandings Turtle
      • Maine
      • The Hunt For the DiamondBack
      • The Search for the Spring Salamander
      • The Northern RedBellied Turtle
      • High Red Redbacked Salamanders
    • West Coast >
      • Oregon
    • Midwest >
      • Missouri Pit Vipers
      • Other Missouri Snakes
      • Kingsnakes
      • Sirens and Four toed Salamanders
    • South America >
      • Iguana Park
  • Mammal & Bird Watching
    • North America >
      • Alaska >
        • Turnagain arm to Seward
        • Coopers Landing and Soldotna
      • Hatchers Pass and Denali
      • South Dakota
      • Moose in New Hampshire
      • Florida >
        • Blue Springs State Park
      • Maine and New Brunswick
      • Massachusetts >
        • Day at the Quabbin
    • Birds of Prey >
      • Owls
    • South America >
      • Peru
      • Ecuador >
        • The Andes
      • Galapagos >
        • Isabella
        • North Seymour
        • Santa Cruz
  • Hiking
    • Hiking Gear
    • Northeast USA >
      • Day of Hiking in Central New Hampshire
      • West and East Rattlesnake Mountain
      • Mount Monadock
  • Further Reading
    • Links