It is definitely without a doubt an Eastern Painted Turtle, extremely common in N. VA. I live in Springfield. Judging by the fact that the turtle is a female and that you found her in your backyard, she was probably looking to nest or had already finished. Since this is the most likely case, put her back in your yard exactly where you found her, they are picky about where they nest. Also DO NOT transport her to another area in which you found her to release her. Turtles have home ranges and if you relocate them, they often times will try to get back to their home range no matter what the distance. Good luck, I live in Springfield, so if you have any questions just email me at NtoriusJMG@aol.com.

-Jordan

[ Hide Replies ]

• turtle i found in my backyard - vegeta, Fri Jun 27 17:33:47 2003
• GOT IT.... - draybar, Fri Jun 27 17:49:59 2003
• RE: GOT IT.... - Katrina, Fri Jun 27 20:30:37 2003
• RE: turtle i found in my backyard - jgsavGA, Fri Jun 27 18:47:29 2003
• RE: turtle i found in my backyard - amazinglyricist, Sun Jun 29 19:05:45 2003
• Its an Eastern Painted Turtle For sure - vidusa, Mon Jun 30 11:10:49 2003