It’s high summer and the sun is rising…
…Along with the temperature. Jobs that need doing better get done as early as possible. In the veggie strip at the far back reaches of the property, yellow pear and black cherry tomatoes are melting right off of the vines. Being away from the garden allows the fruits of our labors to get out of hand. Those hands need to get busy and get this mess cleaned up so that fresh new growth can produce fresh newly ripened tomatoes. But wait…
…What, or should it be who is this? Someone is already doing a fine clean up job in the tomato patch, caught in the act, evidence still dripping from their mouth.
Nearly slipping on the sloping gravel paths and tripping on the wobbly rock steps, the camera is fetched from inside the addition. Oh good, our helper is still here, but looking wary of all the noise someone is making.
Oh hey, here is a larger tomato from a volunteer seedling, but it has a big rotten spot. Would you like it?
Uh oh. That was a major turtle manners faux pas, it seems. Our diner is turning to leave, giving us a sideways glare that does not exude gratitude.
Noooo! Don’t go! We are so sorry! But to no avail. The neck is extended, the legs are at full length and there is surprising speed in the escape mode.
They are traveling fast, the camera can barely keep up. They are heading back to the brush pile that has been building for ten years at the property line.
Up, up and away! I did not know turtles could climb! Behind the rusty, falling down fencing that is held up by the stacks of limbs and leavings, our guest will soon disappear.
Going, going,… barely visible so an apple shaped diagram was drawn to help you, dear readers, to discern the whereabouts…gone.
Oh well, back to the task of tomato pruning whilst we ponder this close encounter of the best kind, gentle wildlife, here at the Fairegarden.
We remember back to last fall when there was a similar encounter over at the ornamental peach tree, which can be read about by clicking here-Turtle Blues. The above shot from that post shows what we believe to be a different box turtle, a female if eye color is any indication, although the neck, head and legs are black and yellow, unlike our tomato eating friend who sports gray legs, neck and head. According to this site, what we have are two seperate box turtles, a male and a female. Oh joyous day, for do you know what that means?
There could be baby turtles!!! Maybe. Someday. Perhaps. There is plenty of food for a nice family here and lots of fine living accomadations. The mystery of who has been eating the strawberries along the nearby path might also have been solved. Good thing we just tied up the wild and crazy raspberry vines, those are not for sharing, sorry to be greedy but there you go.
*Rather than the beloved Janis Joplin number, this title refers to male turtle eye color, unless there is a song out there with this title that is apropos.
Frances
Fairegarden 
Dear Frances, What a fun and amusing sequence of pictures to start the day and, indeed, the weekend. I have much enjoyed this posting!
I could certainly think of several less savory characters to share your produce with. Have a good weekend, and may more turtles be in your future.
So nice to know I’m not the only one with a growing pile♥ I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing a resident turtle. Beautiful post!
How exciting to have your turtles in the garden. That red eye was watching you. I hope you have pictures of little ones in the future.
Great shots! I’m never patient enough to get such nice animal shots – love yours with the tomatoes. If there are babies I think you’ll find them:)
I’m sure your turtle will return and probably bring along friends and family with such delicious fruits for the taking! Cute post!
How fun to see such a turtle among the garden. Adorable post today!
Great photos. It’s nice to have slow moving wildlife in the garden. We have a big brushpile near the nouse, and others out in the field as w ell as general multiflora tangles but the wildlife they attract, like ruffed grouse, move too fast to capture.
What a great post! If that Turtle could teach us anything, it would be how to glare at rude gardeners who interupt breakfast! What an amazing red-eyed stare! I do hope you find little babies around. It’s nice to know someone else has a wood pile–I cannot bear to send mine to the land fill. I keep thinking I will make arbors and trellises with them, but so far, have not had the energy or a burst of creativity to do so.
Dear Frances, I love box turtles and have since I was a little girl and my grandma Ruth introduced me to Oscar! I thought he was decades old, but my mom disabused me of that notion. Grandma had many over the years and they were all named Oscar! Wonderful photos and I love your drawing of the missing fruit! gailxxoo
A lucky turtle/turtle family to reside at Fairegarden.
Well it’s only fair to share nature’s bounty Frances but I can understand you drawing the line at the raspberries. What a delightful creature and how exciting that there may be babes on the horizon. Glad to hear that you have sunshine – a commodity in short supply here 🙂
You made me laugh with that one Frances. I especially love your drawing of the turtle as he or she sped away. Congrats on the raspberries. I’ve never had much luck with them, but I’m willing to give them another try.~~Dee
Love the turtle pictures, they are so cool even if they do eat some of the produce. I had a very large turtle in the garden last year that seemed settled under the porch, but no signs this year. Too bad, I liked the fellow!
Great post – nice big pictures too! Lovely blog…
What a great helper you have there Frances! Terrific photos of your visitor. He or she is certainly well fed. Strawberries and tomatoes… yummy. Hopefully a family of turtles will still leave you some food.
Very cool! I must admit I’ve lusted after a turtle myself, and even considered turtle rescue, but it seems they require a lawn before they’ll give you a rescue animal, so alas, it is not to be.
What a fun post!
Very cool! I love turtles, any kind really.
Jake
My brush with Nature this week was an encounter with a black snake that was sunning him/herself right by the back door. Cooper did a huge double take and Ellie went rigid with alarm. (Me, too, at first!)
You are so lucky to have turtles in your garden! We have them at The Havens too. Have you seen this post? YOu should take a look, I did get baby turtles from my box turtles. . . http://healingmagichands.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/camera-critters-18/
I love my box turtles, but I’m not sure I would encourage them to eat my tomatoes, even dead falls. They are perfectly capable of eating tomatoes on the vine that are within their reach and there is NOTHING they like better than melons and strawberries. . . which is why we built the strawberry bed that we did at The Havens. And their love of melons is why we have the fence around the vegetable garden that we have. Well, them and the rabbits and the deer. . .
What a great series of pictures.
In Africa tortoises have hard shells and turtles have ‘soft’ shells and live mostly in water – yours seems more like our tortoises however. How exciting! And amazing that they are so similar across the world! I would be very excited to find a tortoise (or a turtle!) in my garden – here the tortoises seem to prefer dryer environs than my damp mountain and I’ve never seen turtles in our cold waters…
Hello,
Very funny the story with the turtle, it’s so beautiful.
Oh, I would love to have such guest in my garden! When we lived in Missouri near the little lake, we used to watch mama-turtles climbing a green hill in front of our house. Some time later, we watched tiny baby-turtles heading to the lake. Then, the houses were built on the hill, and the show ended… Thank you Frances for this wonderful, funny post!
Forgot to say – I wish we had so many tomatoes. With this cool, late summer, I am not sure we’ll have any. Congratulations on your raspberries, too!
How cool! I love the turtle, even if it means you have to share tomatoes with it. Great shots of your garden guest.
Hi Frances,
My heck he is scarfing down your tomatoes like there is no tomorrow. I have NEVER had one of these guys in my garden. Mostly my visitors consist of chipmunks and mice.
I wouldn’t share my berries with any thing either.
Very cute. Opportunists! It’s suprising how quick they can shift when needs be.
Glad I didn’t miss this post, Frances:) I’m picturing you following that turtle all around the garden with your camera:) My neighbor, who lives next to a creek, actually had a big turtle come up into their yard and lay eggs earlier this summer, so who knows–you might have some new tenants yet.
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