Frogs, Turtles, and Toads on the Road (Blog 404)

I typically walk three miles before going to teach school every morning and many mornings I do in the dark. With such a wet summer, I often encounter frogs, toads, and various species of turtles on the road.

I don't like to take box turtles away from their chosen paths because they have well-defined territories. I will "help" them across a road by depositing them on the other side.  Painted turtles are another matter.

The other morning I saw a young painted turtle crossing the Botetourt County road we live on. There was no water source anywhere near him and definitely not one in the direction he was heading. I figured he had gone out looking for food in the wet weather and was still questing about.

I don't generally like to interfere with nature, but I decided to take the turtle home so that he could head for Catawba Creek which flows through our land. I hope I did the right thing. At least, I knew I wouldn't see him crushed on the road later in the morning when I headed for school. Here's his picture.