Thanks Moccasin, for the reminder and the story!

Sandy-witch?

I would never have said that.

Steve

One need to set out a turtle pool so he can climb into it for a dunk( old fry pan) Love the small creatures too but we only seem to have the birds and frogs so far unless my dogs and cat count. Neighbour's llama was loose yesterday but sure never wanted him in my flowers.

One of our 'Turtle Ponds':

hh

I occasionally see a small box turtle in my garden,but I don't have to set out a water bowl. I have a small creek in my garden that can go to when they want. The only small creatures I don't like are the occasional vole! Phil

Hostahillbilly, I LOVE that pond! How cool.

I have yet to get to that point, but I have three old pyrex flameware pots around for anything that wants to use them-they are up though, so pretty much just the birds. Two are kept full to the brim and one has only 1" of water with a rock in the middle for the littler ones that don't want to land on the rim.

I also keep my one garden very well watered where my toads hang out.

I have yet to see any turtles. Lots of birds, bees and butterflies, and toads...but no turtles.

I did an early morning watering today, and as I slowly swung the hose down the row of Hosta in the backyard , I saw a teeny little frog jump and jump to get away from me, and I think get to the water. It was so small, I am not sure if it was a tree frog or a toad, but it seemed more the shape of a tree frog. Hunched down it could have sat completely on a dime...

There are water sources for all the critters here, and the sprinklers and hoses are going most of the time so the dozen or so box turtles and the various snakes, lizards, etc get plenty to drink. I see the turtles drinking all the time. The birds have the ponds, waterfall, several bird baths and the cats' water dish if they are brave enough. Bigger creatures have the woods pond.

We put out our watermelon and cantelope rinds for the turtles, and they love them! It isn't unusual to see three or four box turtles lined up in the middle of the rinds! And I suspect the raccoons take their turn at night.

Jim says he thinks the turtles can smell watermelon for a long ways, the last time he put some out he said they were just hustling from all directions to get there!

Btw, I checked that turtle hole and there were no eggs. I suspect it was just trying to get cool in the damp mulchy soil.

Sandy

I wouldn't want turtles eating my Hosta... But I am envious of you that have them visit your yards.

I put the photos I took up in an album on Flickr. Link is below. I think gardeners are more aware of the dependency of all creatures on one another, and it comes naturally. It strikes my heart to see anything, or any ONE for that matter, suffering.

And, Sandy, just so you know the background of the name I use for you, it is the name I once wanted to name a beach-side sandwich shop, when I thought I could open one down in Panama City Florida. The Sandy Witch, is what I wanted to name it. Very fond memories of the term. And, you being named Sandy, and using Mosswitch as a screen name, I am pleased to dub thee "Sandywitch." It seems to fall together IMHO. And I still think it would make a nice name for a sandwich shop, don't you? :)

Anyway, here's the link to the photo album on Flickr. And one of the photos for those who do not click on links. Note that s/he is about half a brick in size.

Here is a link that might be useful: Turtle Oasis

I leave little dishes and saucers all over my gardens for the little ones. I, too, can't stand to see anything/one suffer. Love the pic of your turtle.

Moccasin, works for me! Lol!

Sandy

LOVE this post and all the kind-hearted people here. So glad you helped the turtle. Sometimes a drink of fresh water is all they want. I don't have turtles or frogs, but I'm going to put a couple of small saucers around in case someone can benefit. I have two ground birdbaths, but I wonder if the fake rock ridge around it prevents some little animals from getting to them. This is a good idea!

Love it!! Thanks for sharing the pics. I haven't seen a turtle for YEARS. When I was a kid, I'd see them around my neighborhood.

Do you live near the woods?

Deanna

Great story! I would love to find a turtle or frog in our yard. I did find a poor little snake dead in one of the bird baths a couple of weeks ago. So sad.

So nice to know everyone sees this desperation. I decided my little chipmunk can keep digging in my pots - the flowers are shot anyway. This county hasn't had a drop of rain for almost 7 weeks. All the thunderstorms in northern Illinois are skirting us. I've never seen so many wasps, bees or hornets when I turn the hoses on. And wherever it puddles, they're down there drinking! I'm going to put out a few containers. Never thought of that. It's so dry, the puddles on the flagstone evaporate in seconds. Thank god for gardeners.

Westy

A box turtle my kids dubbed Boxer adopted us a long time ago. Boxer bathed regularly with us. It was like Moc said. It would submerge its head for a long time(the first time my kids thought it was drowning), but we could see it gulp at the water and its neck swell with each swallow. We always spruced up the "bath" with a nice big leaf of crisp lettuce which, after drinking, was very much consumed. Then the last thing Boxer would do is pee-and pee-and pee-and, well We always wondered where it stored all that liquid. Figured its body was a whole lot smaller than the shell would imply. But then, being a box turtle which is a land turtle it really didn't swim. It floated on top of the water like a bobber. If Boxer came with a friend I told the kids that was what we would name it, so we would have had Boxer and Bobber.

Sometimes little stories like Moc's are the most quaint and memorable. Thanks for sharing.

Les

No box turtles here, really enjoyed these stories.

My yard is full of treefrogs due to several small ponds that they breed in. We just love them.