By: Catie Resor
A few years back, I spotted not one, but three eastern box turtles along a short stretch of the Airline Trail where it connects to the Land Trust’s Palmer Taylor Preserve. Even if you haven’t hiked the trails at Palmer Taylor, you have certainly admired the beautiful hay field that rises above Route 66 as you near the traffic light at Cobalt. It was an evening in mid-June, and for some reason, it was a box turtle party night.
I’ve always loved finding box turtles, most often in early summer, sometimes in a grassy clearing, and sometimes trundling down a forest trail. It turns out that late May through June is the time that female box turtles are looking for places to lay their eggs. The turtles often prefer to lay eggs in more sunny, open areas like the corridor along the Airline Trail and the hay meadows of Palmer Taylor.
Eastern box turtles, despite being related to pond turtles, live entirely on land. They are long-lived, not reaching sexual maturity until age 10, and living up to 100 years or more. Because they live so long and mature so late, they take life at a slower pace, putting them at greater risk of impacts from humans. They are listed as a species of special concern in Connecticut and are threatened by loss of habitat due to development. Their shells protect them from predators, but not cars, and many are hit trying to move around to find mates and nesting sites. They are highly territorial and may spend their entire lives on less than two acres but use a variety of habitats—woodlands, fields, and wetlands.
Palmer Taylor Preserve covers 90 acres of woods, hay fields, ponds, and Taylor Brook—all perfect box turtle habitat. A preserve like Palmer Taylor offers us trails to wander and enjoy, but more importantly, this land, managed by Middlesex Land Trust, is preserved “in perpetuity,” kept safe for turtles on “turtle time.” In one hundred years, it will still be here, and hopefully, so will the turtles.