Painted Turtles are the most common turtle in Wisconsin. I see them regularly when I hike or go birdwatching in southern or central Wisconsin.
On cool, sunny spring days you can usually find Painted Turtles covering exposed logs at the edge of ponds, marshes or lakes. Good sunning real estate can be hard to find, so they get cozy.
In winter Painted Turtles burrow into the mud at the bottom of a pond, lake or marsh. They surface again in the spring when the temperature hits 50 degrees.
Female turtles leave the water in spring to dig a nest where they deposit their eggs. The nest can be up to a half-mile away from a water source, but when the baby turtles hatch, they instinctively know to find water.
My friend and I were hiking when we came upon this mother digging her egg nest:
After seeing her “handiwork” it’s not hard to believe that up to 90 percent of turtle nests are lost to predators.
These sunbathing amphibians can live up to 40 years old!