Chrysemys Scripta

Lets get something straight from the get-go!  I am not an animal lover.  I appreciate that God made animals...some are even cute and look to be cuddly.  Just not my thing!  Totally not true for my twins...they live, breath and absolutely adore animals.  I can totally see them being all "sciency, ecosystemy" type of people when they get older! 

As a parent of animal lover children...I often have some sort of critter being shoved into my face for closer viewing. This day was no different.

Abbie runs into the kitchen...grabs my hand and starts tugging me toward the front door.  I knew it wasn't something to urgent (like Syd being strung upside down in a tree!) because she was smiling!  Well, come to think about it...that would have made her smile, too! 

I soon find out the reason for my attention....a turtle!

More specific...a red-eared slider.  Let me backtrack a moment and tell you that Abbie has an amazing sense of  critter tracking.  I think she must have been a blood-hound at one time!  You can find her looking around the ponds first thing in the morning, while the other girls are elbow deep in their Frosted Flakes!

Ok...so...its a turtle...yay!(note the lack of enthusiasm!)  Abbie goes on to tell me that its a "momma turtle".  How does she know this?  Has she been reading science journals behind my back?!?  Then she point to a little hole that the turtle is sitting on....and I understand!

This "momma" must have dug all night long (by the looks of her muddy shell and we all know that turtles are notorious for being slow!)...sit by the hole and laid egg after egg.  She would push her hind legs into the hole after each egg tumbled down the hole...packed her babies nice and tight...and made room for another!

It was COOL!  We stood quietly back and watched something we probably will never see again! 

We know have a big circle on our calendar because we are expecting to see some baby turtles hatch in 60-90 days!   Our little pond already entertains 4 kids, 2 dogs, 500 LOUD CROAKING frogs...whats another 30 turtles?!?!