Through the Woods: A sad picture

I took this photo Christmas Day 2022. It shows the shell of a native North American three-toed box turtle. Obviously, this turtle had died several days earlier because its body is missing. Curiously, the shell ended up in a right-side-up position as light snow fell upon it. Sunshine melted the snow off most of the shell, making it easy for me to see.

Three-toed box turtles will make a safe place to spend the winter months by digging a hole under a log or rock before cold weather arrives. Sometimes they will dig into a bank or crawl into a small, abandoned hole making it theirs and remain there until spring.

Box turtles are cold-blooded reptiles. They spend the winter months surviving underground below the frost line in a state of lethargy called brumation. Their hard shell provides a barrier against the cold and fallen leaves equally insulate the ground.

Horrell is an artist and outdoorsman. He lives in Chaffee. He owns Painted Wren Art Gallery in Cape Girardeau.