JaxFLBoxTurtles
New Member
So a few weeks ago I found a box turtle in the middle of my backyard sitting next to a pile of tree limbs I recently trimmed out a few days before. Then just a couple days ago I saw her again right next to the house after I cut the grass. She sat there and dug a hole for about an hour and then laid 2 eggs! She then filled the hole in with fresh cut grass. I read that wild Florida Box Turtles are endangered so to see this was really cool. I made sure to stay at least 3-4 feet away from the area where the eggs are buried to make sure I don't disturb the ground to try to give them the best chance of hatching since the wild ones are endangered. But let me give you some background as to where I live which makes this even more amazing because I pretty much live right in the city.
I live in Jacksonville, FL and my backyard backs up into a wildlife preserve. But my house is right on a 4-lane main highway only about 20ft or so from the road in the Westside of Jacksonville. So by no means do I live in the country or anything, but McGirts Creek (which is part of the St. Johns river) is a few blocks west of my house and is the western edge of the preserve. The Eastern edge is a main railroad track that runs through along U.S. 17 (another main highway) through Jacksonville. This small piece of land is teaming with wildlife because no hunting is allowed and nothing can be taken out or put into the preserve. I have seen deer, turkey and many other types of wild animals right in the middle of my backyard, and my yard is only about 40 yards long and then it turns into thick woods. So it was really amazing that she laid her eggs almost right against the foundation of the house instead of back in the woods. But if i end up seeing them hatch I will try to get some pics posted.
Here are some pics of her in the yard and then laying the eggs:
I live in Jacksonville, FL and my backyard backs up into a wildlife preserve. But my house is right on a 4-lane main highway only about 20ft or so from the road in the Westside of Jacksonville. So by no means do I live in the country or anything, but McGirts Creek (which is part of the St. Johns river) is a few blocks west of my house and is the western edge of the preserve. The Eastern edge is a main railroad track that runs through along U.S. 17 (another main highway) through Jacksonville. This small piece of land is teaming with wildlife because no hunting is allowed and nothing can be taken out or put into the preserve. I have seen deer, turkey and many other types of wild animals right in the middle of my backyard, and my yard is only about 40 yards long and then it turns into thick woods. So it was really amazing that she laid her eggs almost right against the foundation of the house instead of back in the woods. But if i end up seeing them hatch I will try to get some pics posted.
Here are some pics of her in the yard and then laying the eggs: