Eastern Box Turtle

As best I can tell, this little critter is an Eastern box turtle. It decided to take a tour of the driveway early one morning.

This is only the second time since we moved in 39 years ago that I've seen a turtle of any kind up here at the house, although we have snapping turtles down at the pond.

The eastern box turtle (terrapene carolina) is one of those small, steady creatures that quietly goes about its business in Virginia’s woods and pastures, never in a hurry or asking much of anyone. They’re long‑lived, stubborn in their routines, and oddly endearing. They are mainly terrestrial and will soak in mud or very shallow water, something we've not had much of here lately with our drought.

My husband thought the small reptile might have been drawn toward the house by the water from the hose where we had watered the flowers the night before.

I used a zoom on the camera to keep from scaring it and making it go into its shell.