A turtle in the garden

By Aaron Horrell

Wild animals in the garden are not always welcome. Raccoons can decimate a sweetcorn patch. Whitetail deer will browse the tender new growth on many kinds of plants. A groundhog can eat your green bean plants off right to the ground. Squirrels will find plenty of things to eat in your garden as well.

Box turtles can be a nuisance in a strawberry patch, but usually they are welcome in a garden. A box turtle will eat almost any kind of insect it can catch. Slugs, grubs, snails, crickets and grasshoppers are all on the menu along with some types of fungi.

My photo here shows a box turtle eating a tomato that I allowed to ripen close to the ground. If you cage your tomatoes they will grow tall. The box turtle will only be able to reach the very lowest hanging tomatoes. When the summer days are hot and dry the turtle will find the ripe tomato a good source of hydrating liquid. Maybe the tomato is as pleasing to it as a bowl of ice cream on a hot day is to you.