Posts Tagged ‘turtle’
Creatures & Critters: Turtle Edition
Meet Ada, Darling, and Teddy! Ada and Darling are red-eared sliders and Teddy is a ornate box turtle. The Nature Center is home to these three turtles. Red-eared sliders are brightly marked and their carapace looks like a bowl turned upside down. The shell of a red-eared slider is divided into “scutes.” They look like Read More »
Read MoreTurtle connect-the-dots
We could have made a red-eared slider turtle coloring page, but why not make it a little more interesting and add a connect-the-dot activity too? Click here for your free printable connect-the-dot sheet.
Read MoreButton turtle
People love to spot turtles in the wild. Snapping turtles, painted turtles, softshell turtles — it is so fun getting to see these truly unique creatures. Let’s celebrate turtles right at home by making a button turtle craft. You’ll need: A printed template Colored pencils, crayons or markers Buttons Glue Print out our button turtle Read More »
Read MoreHow animals survive the winter
Humans often hole themselves up in their houses to survive the winter in front of the fire with hot chocolate. However, animals have to survive the frigid chill outside in the elements, and they have different ways of dealing with the change in seasons. Let’s take a quick look at how these Iowa animals survive. Read More »
Read MoreTurtle finger puppet template
Turtle or tortoise — they’re different creatures, but you can make this fun finger puppet into whichever you would like. Otherwise, you can use your imagination and make your own distinctive turtle! Make it pink. Make it sparkly. Make it your own. First, start off by printing off the free turtle finger puppet template onto Read More »
Read MoreTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were originally inspired by red-eared sliders
The Dickinson County Nature Center has two red-eared slider animal ambassadors. Red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta) are found throughout the United States, but that hasn’t always been the case. These aquatic turtles are natively found in the southeastern United States from Texas to Alabama north to southern Ohio and into Kansas. Their native watersheds may Read More »
Read MoreWhat kind of turtle is it?
Shells, claws and tails — turtles can seem confusingly similar. However, if you know a few key differences to look for, you can soon confidently identify some common turtle species in Iowa. There are 13 turtle species known in Iowa, but we’re going to look at just five — Blanding’s turtles, painted turtles, red-eared sliders, Read More »
Read More7 things Teddy the ornate box turtle wants you to know about him
When kids who have been to the nature center before return, many of them beeline to see Teddy the ornate box turtle. (Teddy has some lessons for us to learn in this video.) But how much do you really know about the ornate box turtle (terrapene ornata ornata)? Long live Teddy. Ornate box turtles have an Read More »
Read MoreTeddy the box turtle teaches us lessons
Read more blogs about Teddy the turtle: Seven things Teddy the turtle wants you to know about him Watch: What does Teddy the turtle eat? Teddy the turtle looks for a friend
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