When I witnessed Autumn and Winter for the first time, I was enthralled! I spent as much time as I could outdoors. That was once in New Mexico and once in Ontario. I loved every moment of it.
it's a tough plant , it'll be back next year....... it seems to me there is a general misconception on temperate reptiles , their hibernation, more correctly their brumation , and how they deal with cold temperatures ..... today was 44F and sunny , the water temps were 44-45F , the surface ground temp under the leaf piles were 51-52F...... tonight is supposed to be 30F, tomorrow is supposed to be 52F, every night this week is in the 30's , days in the 50's , some of these turtles will be out everyday next week getting some sun......
they are pretty cold tolerant , if you look at ranges and hardiness zones , i think painted turtles got them all beat , NA wood turtles or snapping turtles might be 2nd , , then blandings , spotteds, musk, northern maps, and spiny softshells....... eastern box turtles don't range as far north as any i just mentioned , but they hibernate on land , i think they may be as cold tolerant or more than any of them , i believe the are exposed to colder temperatures than all the water hibernators, i have little doubt they become frozen to some degree every winter....