This week we are reaching the lower 80s F and the gopher tortoise are out in full force after their winter hibernation. I saw the upper one in the front yard last month when the temperature reached the upper 70s. He is the largest one we've seen and is about a foot across. He is very wary and if he hears a noise or sees us he runs for his den. I saw the one below, which is about eight inches, outside the window yesterday. I think it may be one I haven't seen before. The tortoise eat really quickly searching out just the right plant for about five minutes, then they lie down on their shell and rest. They only stay out about half an hour at a time and then retreat to their underground dens.
I spent several hours this morning fixing my computer. Now I've discovered several more glitches. So I'm behind in my visits to your blogs and other duties. I'll have to catch up with you tomorrow. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.
hello Linda:
ReplyDeleteWe always think that Tortoises look so incredibly antediluvian, a hundred years old, at least!
How marvellous that they live underground near you and make appearances when ready for food. We used to know people who built a Tortoise Castle in their garden for their pet Tortoises. It was quite a grand affair made of brick and embellished with turrets!!!
Hi Jane and Lance, thanks, a turret tortoise house, how wonderful. Ha. I think the tortoise must be the gentlest creature on earth, shy and plodding, but much quicker than one would imagine, they harm no one and are completely vegetarian. I wonder what they think of while resting under ground?
ReplyDeleteIt is so warm today one might think it is summer coming instead of spring!
ReplyDeleteHi Meredith, thanks, yes it is a bit scary coming this early in the season, I am enjoying it but worry about the lack of rain and potential for drought.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely to see the gopher tortoise (something we definitely don't have in this part of the world). I'm a bit envious of your current temperatures, whilst we should really be in late summer, we have been thrown into an early autumn/winter, and have had three nights recently where we so very nearly had frost... brrrrrrr! It is a bit disconcerting really, I think we need to build some underground dens and hibernate for the next 6 months!!
ReplyDeletehow cool to have tortoise's so big right in your yard!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Peter, thanks, in the middle of summer here I'll be wishing I was in your neck of the woods as it gets so humid and hot, it is warm so early, hibernation would be great easy to keep warm with less heat needed and easy to keep cool with the ground temperature. not sure why we humans don't build underground, of course here in the rainy season we might float to the top. Ha.
ReplyDeleteHi Michele, thanks, yes it really is cool we are lucky to have an empty lot surrounding us on three sides and the tortoise are left to their own devices. Also we don't spray our lawn for weeds and I think the tortoise like all the variation. Many folks here have lawn services and they are always spraying their lawns, they keep asking us and we point to how green our lawn is and ask them if they really think we need their services and they admit we don't, plus we couldn't afford them anyway. Ha.