Turtle friendly gardening

Source here

Article about someone who remodeled their patio, noticed a turtle coming up looking for the now filled in "bog garden". Notes about how to make your yard and garden turtle friendly.

Fortunately, gardeners can play a role in nurturing box turtles. Here are a few actions to consider:

• Invite box turtles into your garden by cultivating a plant species native to your region that provide favorite turtle fruits. In sunny areas, encourage dense clusters of brambles and let the ripened berries fall. Choose species that fruit at different times during the season. (But be aware that the turtles have a well-known penchant for raiding vegetable gardens, so erect a small barrier.)

• Terrestrial box turtles are poor swimmers, so be sure your pool is properly fenced in.

• Leave large, continuous areas of natural leaf litter mulch beneath trees on your property so the turtles can remain camouflaged and forage for prey. To provide places where the animals can pass the night or overwinter, build brush piles on top of soft, loose soil by layering branches and leaf litter.

• Any moist area, whether rain garden or damp forest depression, will help turtles survive the hottest parts of the day.

• Provide a large, and preferably isolated, clearing. Box turtles use such areas for traveling, mating and basking. They also lay their eggs in sunny spots.

• Locate all turtle habitat as far as possible from deadly roadways. If you do see a box turtle crossing a street, the best thing to do is to move it carefully to the side of the road, pointed in the direction it was heading.

• Before mowing, walk the area in search of turtles. Mow on a dry day, at midday, when turtles are less likely to be out and about.

reply to post by kawika

"I like turtles."

reply to post by LightSpeedDriver




Had to be done.

Cool thread OP. I had friends near Seattle that let the turtles roam in the garden. Believe in the summer. It was always fun to try and find them. I think they're cute. If there were turtles nearby I would definitely make a turtle friendly garden.

reply to post by Domo1


Yup, have not spotted any turtles here in So Ca.

Grew up in Michigan, lots of turtles.

Daughter found a salamander in the garden in Michigan. Teacher told her we must have good soil for him to live.

Dad used to pick them up from a boat on the lake where he grew up.

We have a turtle we call spot that has lived in our garden for a couple of years now.

The kids next door found him, and took him to their dad, who, for some reason, painted him with the permament markers that automotive people use to mark used car parts, so Spot has yellow and purple writing on his shell.

We got really upset when the kids told us that, and we went and got him from their yard and put him in our garden and fed him.

We've seen him for 2 years now, several times a month, always around our patio, usually after the hot part of the day is over. There's a tree there with the leaves, and there's monkey grass that he likes to get in. We've seen him eating spinach and lettuce. We don't mind, lol, that area is home to our chickens so it isn't the main part of our garden. We just plant brocoli and veggies for the chickens to nibble and bok choy and spinach for the bees to have something to eat on in the fall.

I have a lot of begonias in that area- turtles and chickens alike seem to LOVE begonias. I put them in clay pots so I can give the flowers a break by rotating them out, otherwise Spot and the chickens would nibble them down to the ground.

We call him spot, because, thanks to that idiot next door, he is easy to spot. That's why we rescued him- we were not sure he would make it on his own painted permamently like a neon sign. It's faded off some, but it is still there the last time I saw him.

reply to post by kawika


I revert to kid brain when I find wild animals. I found a little lizard a few months ago hanging out on a log on a mini hike. I was the stereotypical nature moron and picked him up. Gorgeous little creature. Oh man, want to find a pic and post it. He was gold, and didn't look like a Salamander. Ugh, looking through phone after I post. Also found a salamander walking my dog (the salamander wasn't walking my dog, I just don't get commas). They are so fun to see! Where I grew up there was a pond so I would go catch frogs and tadpoles. Frogs I let go, tadpoles I would put in a decent sized aquarium and watch them grow into frogs. Then let them go. So neat to see. Damn't I want a turtle garden! Really cool thread for anyone with turtles nearby. Where are turtles? Florida?

Originally posted by hadriana
We have a turtle we call spot that has lived in our garden for a couple of years now.

The kids next door found him, and took him to their dad, who, for some reason, painted him with the permament markers that automotive people use to mark used car parts, so Spot has yellow and purple writing on his shell.

We got really upset when the kids told us that, and we went and got him from their yard and put him in our garden and fed him.

We've seen him for 2 years now, several times a month, always around our patio, usually after the hot part of the day is over. There's a tree there with the leaves, and there's monkey grass that he likes to get in. We've seen him eating spinach and lettuce. We don't mind, lol, that area is home to our chickens so it isn't the main part of our garden. We just plant brocoli and veggies for the chickens to nibble and bok choy and spinach for the bees to have something to eat on in the fall.

I have a lot of begonias in that area- turtles and chickens alike seem to LOVE begonias. I put them in clay pots so I can give the flowers a break by rotating them out, otherwise Spot and the chickens would nibble them down to the ground.

We call him spot, because, thanks to that idiot next door, he is easy to spot. That's why we rescued him- we were not sure he would make it on his own painted permamently like a neon sign. It's faded off some, but it is still there the last time I saw him.[edit]edit on 15-4-2012 by hadriana because: (no reason given)