Blanding’s Turtle in Iowa

Blanding's Turtle Crossing by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region is marked with CC PDM 1.0

Blanding’s Turtle or Emydoidea blandingii is threatened in Iowa and is a Species of Greatest Conservation Need according to Amphibians and Reptiles of Iowa’s website. This means it is illegal to kill or collect these turtles in Iowa. The Iowa DNR would appreciate the report of these turtles when they are seen. These turtles are Read More »

Read More

Turtle or tortoise? What’s the difference?

tortoise

We had someone comment that Teddy the box turtle looked unhappy because he wasn’t in water. However, he’s a terrestrial turtle, so his kind lives the majority of their lives on land and not in the water. Yet, he isn’t a tortoise. Some people in Florida released tortoise hatchlings into the ocean. However, they aren’t Read More »

Read More

Five facts you probably didn’t know about painted turtles

painted turtle

Annie and Jeff loved the Dickinson County Nature Center. But they’re not visitors. They don’t even work here. Actually, they live here! That’s because, even though they have human-like names, Annie and Jeff are the nature center’s painted turtles (Chrysemys picta.) Annie the painted turtle Everyone loves checking out our painted turtles, so here are Read More »

Read More