The Forestry Forum

   My 2 oldest grandaughters came yesterday for the weekend. The middle gd wanted to go look for turtles this morning. We find them frequently while looking for fawns on a slope inside our pasture. Its a little early for fawns but the turtles are moving. We made a round on the slope with no success but on the way back about 50 yards from my ATV I spotted a small muddy box shell turtle (terrapin and often called Tarpons by locals. This term confused me when we first moved here till I figured out what they really were.). I pointed out to Abby and she grabbed it. We turned it over to determine it was a female so Abby decided it must be Bella, one we found and turned loose last year.

   One note - I am told box shell terrapins have a built in GPS and if they get over 3-4 miles from their home range they get lost and can never find there way home (wherever that is) so we are careful not to move them far. The girls can play with them here then they turn them loose before they go home.

   Along the way I also found a Sycamore seed ball. I gave that to Abby and told her it is a porcupine egg and if she takes care of it then it will hatch into a baby porcupine. When we got back to the house I told her where an old bird nest was so she went and got it and put the "Porcupine egg" in it.

   These are the times to remember.


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/WV_Tarpon_and_Porcupine_egg.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1493483523)
Abby with Tarpon and Porcupine egg


 (https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/38064/Porcupine_egg_in_nest.JPG?easyrotate_cache=1493483580)
New home for our "porcupine egg"

Quote from: WV Sawmiller on April 29, 2017, 12:34:58 PM(terrapin and often called Tarpons by locals. )

Glad you cleared that up, although I was eager to see what a tarpon from West Virginia looked like.

Tim

I was wondering as well! Never heard a turtle called a Tarpon but I suppose it's a slurring of terrapin.

My wife is from eastern KY where she grew up calling bell peppers mangos. She had me confused for a long time when she'd ask me to go to the store and get her some mangos for spaghetti sauce.

Great times and fond memories! 

You have a keen eye to see a 'tarpon' at 50 yards!

Sam,

   While I do have pretty good eyesight (normally about 20/10) I spotted this "tarpon"from a distance of about 4'. I almost stepped on her when I was about 50 yards from my ATV returning to it and she happened to be in the trail.

   Abby turned her loose this morning when her parents stopped by to pick them up. Maybe we can find it again next week. She did take her Porcupine Egg with her.

   Yeah, time spend in the woods and on the water with the grandkids is always time well spent. I hope they remember these times with as much fondness as I do.

They will.

porcupine egg.  :D
I was taking the Grandson somewheres and they just paved the road. I told him that I had a special Grandson and I wanted a nice smooth road to take him. I wanted the road paved just for him. He said,Did you really say that? You should know what happened next?   ;D  I got the"Rolled eyes" from the wife.
Those days are nice. I forgot what age he was when he started to look at me kinda odd and say,That ain't right?  :D