05/03/2026
A turtle crossing a road in May is almost certainly a female carrying eggs.
She's not lost. She's heading to a nesting site she may have used for years — sometimes decades. The route is fixed. The road was built across her path, not the other way around.
Aquatic turtles — painted, snapping, spotted — leave ponds to find warm, well-drained soil for egg-laying. Land turtles — box, wood — make shorter crossings but face the same risk. They move slowly, and during nesting season most of the ones on roads are females.
Turtles take years to reach breeding age. A female lost on the road isn't replaced quickly. The slow ones crossing in May are the ones the local population depends on most.
🐾 If you see one:
- Move her in the direction she was already heading — not back the way she came
- Don't relocate her to a "better" spot — turtles have strong site fidelity and will try to return to their route
- Carry small turtles by the sides of the shell, low to the ground
- Snapping turtles: grip the rear of the shell above the hind legs, not the tail — the tail is part of the spine and pulling it causes injury
- If traffic is heavy, turn on your hazards and help her across. It takes less than a minute
She'll cross the same stretch next year. Whether she makes it depends on who sees her first 🐢
