Aubrey Garman
Dr. Jennings
Campus Woods and Ecology
5 November 2022
From the Egg to the Soil
In late August, a young eastern box turtle emerges from its egg. As it surfaces from the inches of soil that rests above the nest, the unique appearance begins to show. Its shell has yellow spots irregularly placed; the beak lightly colored with the same yellow. Much like the turtle’s father, he has red eyes, confirming him to be a young son. He’s new to the world, with only the natural instinct within him to survive. His biological mother and father missing from the scene, likely in the very same woods, yet so far away. Despite this absence, almost immediately, the young turtle is drawn to the colors and smells around him. From the fallen berries of honeysuckle trees or spice berry bushes to the flowers sprouting from the ground, he’s mesmerized by anything that looks delicious. Despite his small legs, he moves rather quickly, already hungry after his three-month long incubation period. However, something soon catches his eye, a burnt orange mushroom, some call it a velvet shank, growing from a collapsed tree. Just recently, that same mushroom sprouted, growing until it was perfectly edible and delectable. Growing into something that would enrich the life of that turtle.
The following year in July the young turtle lays bathing in a nearby creek. The same fallen tree blocks some of the water running through, protecting the turtle from the water being too deep. From April to September, the tree produces the same mushrooms, right in place for the young turtle to sustain itself when critters are nowhere to be found. Occasionally another one sprouts, the decomposition of the tree quickening under the growth of the fungi. Despite the turtle’s carnivorous wants in its first year, coming across fish and other insects is no easy feat. Wright State University’s wood’s creaks lower in amount throughout the year and can be an inhabitable environment for fish and amphibians alike. Leaving the young turtle to find other ways to sustain himself into his older years. From his fungi to the berries, he also discovers wild flowers like dandelions that sprout throughout the spring times. Giving him food to last until the colder parts of the year. Towards the later and earlier months of the year, he hibernates, giving himself time for plants and animals to return in the spring. In which he’ll be revving up to his next few years being alive.
During the little turtle’s fifth year of thriving in the wild, he is finally of sexual maturity. Meaning he’s on the lookout for a mate who can help him reproduce the eastern box turtle population in the Wright State woods. Due to his natural instincts, he explores more, using whatever food he can find. As he ages, his palette also increases to a much more omnivore-present choice of food. He loves to snack on the mushrooms close to the ground, as well as the dandelions that are sprouting in the spring. When the recent rainfall inspires him to continue his search for a mate, he makes his way throughout the woods, albeit slowly. His species is by no means extinct; however, they’re slowly declining to a vulnerable amount which makes it harder for him to find his mate. So, he continues searching, snacking on the nearby dandelions and velvet shanks, using fallen down tree logs as both shelter and a place to cool off from the midday Sun. He soon sees a fellow eastern box turtle of his stature. Her shell, a yellow and orange spotted shell poking out from behind a log, not very camouflaged within the greens of the woods. Without hesitation, the young turtle makes his way over, braving whatever comes his way. His hard shell and beak protecting him from any predators coming his way. He soon seduces her with his instinctual mating rituals, using whatever natural instincts genetically passed along. In his case, he’s successfully found a mate, even if it’s just for this moment.
Despite the two turtles hitting it off, the female turtle doesn’t lay eggs until the following year, storing the sperm until the next spring. However, when she does, she buries the eggs close to where both of them are currently staying. The biological parents of turtles don’t typically communicate with their offspring, though. Instead, the cycle continues on and on as the eastern box turtle attempts to thrive within the Wright State woods. However, due to the trash and runoff left behind by people venturing into the woods, it’s hard for them to continue living. The little turtle, all grown up now, finds something interesting looking, a colorful thing that reminds him of a dandelion. He’s hungry, hasn’t seen a dandelion or velvet shank in a while and considers it close in color to that of a dandelion. Without thinking much of it, he eats the thing. It’s a different texture than that of a dandelion. Much to his despair, it’s far from a dandelion, it’s a small candy wrapper, left behind by someone with little regard to the surrounding animals and plants.
Being only five inches, the eastern box turtle will not be able to fully digest the wrapper, leaving it to slowly block the bowel movements within the turtle. He can’t do anything about it, only living his life until it finally claims his life. Despite the little turtle living for six years, doing what he feels is best, is instinctual, he does not make his fullest potential. The human world has brought his life to an end, despite his contribution both the flora and the fauna. From his reproductive life to his interaction with the mushrooms and wild flowers, he has positively impacted the natural environment of the Wright State woods, and that time was cut short. After some time, he slowly combines with the fungi growing around his territory. Nature takes him back into the very soil that he had once surfaced from.
Work Cited:
“Eastern Box Turtle.” Eastern Box Turtle - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio, https://animalia.bio/eastern-box-turtle.
“Eastern Box Turtle | National Wildlife Federation.” National Wildlife Federation, 2019, www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Reptiles/Eastern-Box-Turtle.
“Eastern Box Turtle.” Smithsonian’s National Zoo, 27 June 2018, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/eastern-box-turtle.
FungiAdmin. “Flammulina Velutipes.” All about Growing & Hunting Mushrooms, 27 July 2022, funginomi.com/flammulina-velutipes/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2022.
Dr. Jennings
Campus Woods and Ecology
5 November 2022
From the Egg to the Soil
In late August, a young eastern box turtle emerges from its egg. As it surfaces from the inches of soil that rests above the nest, the unique appearance begins to show. Its shell has yellow spots irregularly placed; the beak lightly colored with the same yellow. Much like the turtle’s father, he has red eyes, confirming him to be a young son. He’s new to the world, with only the natural instinct within him to survive. His biological mother and father missing from the scene, likely in the very same woods, yet so far away. Despite this absence, almost immediately, the young turtle is drawn to the colors and smells around him. From the fallen berries of honeysuckle trees or spice berry bushes to the flowers sprouting from the ground, he’s mesmerized by anything that looks delicious. Despite his small legs, he moves rather quickly, already hungry after his three-month long incubation period. However, something soon catches his eye, a burnt orange mushroom, some call it a velvet shank, growing from a collapsed tree. Just recently, that same mushroom sprouted, growing until it was perfectly edible and delectable. Growing into something that would enrich the life of that turtle.
The following year in July the young turtle lays bathing in a nearby creek. The same fallen tree blocks some of the water running through, protecting the turtle from the water being too deep. From April to September, the tree produces the same mushrooms, right in place for the young turtle to sustain itself when critters are nowhere to be found. Occasionally another one sprouts, the decomposition of the tree quickening under the growth of the fungi. Despite the turtle’s carnivorous wants in its first year, coming across fish and other insects is no easy feat. Wright State University’s wood’s creaks lower in amount throughout the year and can be an inhabitable environment for fish and amphibians alike. Leaving the young turtle to find other ways to sustain himself into his older years. From his fungi to the berries, he also discovers wild flowers like dandelions that sprout throughout the spring times. Giving him food to last until the colder parts of the year. Towards the later and earlier months of the year, he hibernates, giving himself time for plants and animals to return in the spring. In which he’ll be revving up to his next few years being alive.
During the little turtle’s fifth year of thriving in the wild, he is finally of sexual maturity. Meaning he’s on the lookout for a mate who can help him reproduce the eastern box turtle population in the Wright State woods. Due to his natural instincts, he explores more, using whatever food he can find. As he ages, his palette also increases to a much more omnivore-present choice of food. He loves to snack on the mushrooms close to the ground, as well as the dandelions that are sprouting in the spring. When the recent rainfall inspires him to continue his search for a mate, he makes his way throughout the woods, albeit slowly. His species is by no means extinct; however, they’re slowly declining to a vulnerable amount which makes it harder for him to find his mate. So, he continues searching, snacking on the nearby dandelions and velvet shanks, using fallen down tree logs as both shelter and a place to cool off from the midday Sun. He soon sees a fellow eastern box turtle of his stature. Her shell, a yellow and orange spotted shell poking out from behind a log, not very camouflaged within the greens of the woods. Without hesitation, the young turtle makes his way over, braving whatever comes his way. His hard shell and beak protecting him from any predators coming his way. He soon seduces her with his instinctual mating rituals, using whatever natural instincts genetically passed along. In his case, he’s successfully found a mate, even if it’s just for this moment.
Despite the two turtles hitting it off, the female turtle doesn’t lay eggs until the following year, storing the sperm until the next spring. However, when she does, she buries the eggs close to where both of them are currently staying. The biological parents of turtles don’t typically communicate with their offspring, though. Instead, the cycle continues on and on as the eastern box turtle attempts to thrive within the Wright State woods. However, due to the trash and runoff left behind by people venturing into the woods, it’s hard for them to continue living. The little turtle, all grown up now, finds something interesting looking, a colorful thing that reminds him of a dandelion. He’s hungry, hasn’t seen a dandelion or velvet shank in a while and considers it close in color to that of a dandelion. Without thinking much of it, he eats the thing. It’s a different texture than that of a dandelion. Much to his despair, it’s far from a dandelion, it’s a small candy wrapper, left behind by someone with little regard to the surrounding animals and plants.
Being only five inches, the eastern box turtle will not be able to fully digest the wrapper, leaving it to slowly block the bowel movements within the turtle. He can’t do anything about it, only living his life until it finally claims his life. Despite the little turtle living for six years, doing what he feels is best, is instinctual, he does not make his fullest potential. The human world has brought his life to an end, despite his contribution both the flora and the fauna. From his reproductive life to his interaction with the mushrooms and wild flowers, he has positively impacted the natural environment of the Wright State woods, and that time was cut short. After some time, he slowly combines with the fungi growing around his territory. Nature takes him back into the very soil that he had once surfaced from.
Work Cited:
“Eastern Box Turtle.” Eastern Box Turtle - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio, https://animalia.bio/eastern-box-turtle.
“Eastern Box Turtle | National Wildlife Federation.” National Wildlife Federation, 2019, www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Reptiles/Eastern-Box-Turtle.
“Eastern Box Turtle.” Smithsonian’s National Zoo, 27 June 2018, nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/eastern-box-turtle.
FungiAdmin. “Flammulina Velutipes.” All about Growing & Hunting Mushrooms, 27 July 2022, funginomi.com/flammulina-velutipes/. Accessed 5 Nov. 2022.