After months of anticipation, I spotted the first box turtle of the season.  There she was, a brown lump alongside the driveway.  At a glance she could have been mistaken for an inanimate object, but closer inspection revealed "Old Lady", a regular spring visitor.  She stood still while I examined her well-worn shell and human-like brown eyes.  Perhaps she was just awakening from her winter sleep and wasn't quite awake yet?  Old Lady is just one of several box turtles that I have been observing for years and I believe her to be very mature based upon the condition of her worn and chipped shell.   This is the ninth season for some of the "regulars" and my fascination has not waned.  Part of the allure is the fact that the box turtles are mostly unseen with the exception of a few weeks during the end of May and early June when they creep out of the woods to mate and nest.  I hope to see more of my reptilian friends over the next few weeks and look forward to sharing more photos.  Please read the previous post to learn more about what you can do to help the box turtles.  It is a re-post from 2015 but I thought it worthwhile to repeat.  

Eastern Box TurtleVery mature female photographed in Killingly, CT Eastern Box TurtleVery mature female photographed in Killingly, CT