In all of the disruption related to COVID-19, I hope you’ve all found some time to get out, enjoy nature, and soak up some of the early signs of spring. Although yesterday (March 19th) was the official first day of spring, given the extremely warm winter we had, many of the natural bench-marks that I personally watch for as hopeful “signs of spring” have been occurring earlier than normal this year. Trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) is blooming almost a month earlier than I’ve spotted it in previous years, spring peepers and wood frogs are already calling, and I have walked by multiple ponds with painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) already active and basking in the sun. 

Painted turtles spend the winter hibernating in the soft mud at the bottom of lakes and ponds. They emerge only when the temperatures have warmed up to almost 60°F, when they will begin actively foraging again. On sunny days, these turtles are a common sight, often congregating in large groups, basking on rocks or fallen logs at the water’s edge. Like all reptiles, the painted turtle is cold-blooded, which means its body temperature is dependent on its surroundings – basking in the sun helps the turtle increase its body temperature more readily.

Common in almost any freshwater pond or lake, the painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle not only in Massachusetts, but in all of North America. They have a smooth shell with red patterns along the outer edge and wide light-colored lines across the carapace where the leading edges of the scutes line up. There is also a yellow spot (sometimes elongated) behind their eye, and yellow and red stripes on their head and neck. There is a useful identification sheet here for distinguishing between the different turtle species found in Massachusetts that shows pictures of both adults and hatchlings of each species.