05/24/2026
We have a few rare box turtles in HPR and around the neighborhood and they really need our help. Don't kidnap them, support less mowing and no mowing during breeding season, don't use pesticides, keep dogs leashed in the park, and help them cross roads in the direction they are trying to go.
The eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina), while a pond turtle species, is mostly terrestrial. They can be found in meadows, fields, ponds, and woodlands throughout the eastern half of the United States.
They’re opportunistic omnivores and will eat a large variety of plant and animal matter. Basically, they’ll eat whatever they can find that looks and smells edible! This includes worms, slugs, grubs, caterpillars, beetles, grasses, berries, fruits, flowers, mushrooms, and carrion. There have even been sitings of them eating birds.
You can usually tell the males and females apart based on their eye color. Males tend to have red or orange eyes, while females have brown or yellow eyes. Males often also have more brightly colored markings.
Eastern box turtles are long-lived, slow-moving, and only lay a few eggs at a time.
A female will lay 1-9 eggs per clutch, with 1-5 clutches per year. Reproduction can occur from late spring through early fall, though most egg-laying happens in May and June, especially if there’s frequent rainfall.
The temperature of their nest affects the s*x of the offspring, how quickly they develop, and potentially the viability of eggs. So finding the right nesting spot is important!
They can live up to 100 years, though they often die young from car traffic, habitat loss, disease, predators, etc. It’s not unusual for them to live 50-80 years, but as their populations decline, their current average lifespan is closer to 25-35 years.
Did you know that the eastern box turtle is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a vulnerable species?
In 2011, the IUCN cited "a widespread persistent and ongoing gradual decline of Terrapene carolina that probably exceeds 32% over three generations."
In many states, their populations are vulnerable or even “critically imperiled” - aka at a high risk of extinction in the area.
States with known vulnerable, threatened, or imperiled box turtle populations:
Connecticut, DC, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas
The IUCN lists the following as reasons for such drastic declines in box turtle populations:
❌ Residential & commercial land development
❌ Agriculture
❌ Roadways/car traffic
❌ Hunting & trapping
❌ Fire & fire suppression
❌ Pollution
❌ Climate change & severe weather
So what can we do to help these adorable creatures?
🐢 Do not remove them from the wild, and report any known activity of people collecting box turtles
🐢 When safe and possible, help them cross the road
🐢 Avoid pesticides - insects are a significant part of a box turtle’s diet
🐢 Add brush piles to your yard as habitat
🐢 Grow native fruits and grasses
🐢 Be aware when mowing - box turtles like to hang out in tall grasses
🐢 Improve your soil quality to help retain moisture
