Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

Turtle and Housefly

An eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) basks on a lillypad not far from where a common housefly has alighted.

The eastern painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. The adult painted turtle female is 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long while the male is smaller. Reliant on warmth from its surroundings, the painted turtle is active only during the day when it basks for hours on logs or rocks, or in this unusual case on a lillypad. During winter, these turtles hibernate, usually in the mud at the bottom of the pond. Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.

Add to Lightbox Download

Filename: _LPA0106-Edit-turtle-lillypad-fly-pond.tif
Image Size: 6472x4319 / 126.7MB; www.WildernessPortraits.com; Cambridge Eastern painted turtle Massachusetts Mt. Auburn Cemetery activity amphibians animal behavior animals basking brown color descriptors fly format green horizontal housefly identification insects lillypad master places plants pond resting season state-city-location summer turtle type view
Contained in galleries: Recent Additions, Wildlife

An eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) basks on a lillypad not far from where a common housefly has alighted.<br />
<br />
The eastern painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. The adult painted turtle female is 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long while the male is smaller. Reliant on warmth from its surroundings, the painted turtle is active only during the day when it basks for hours on logs or rocks, or in this unusual case on a lillypad. During winter, these turtles hibernate, usually in the mud at the bottom of the pond. Adults in the wild can live for more than 55 years.