A Star is Done

    I found an Eastern Box Turtle in the woods on Sunday. In fact I almost stepped on him.
    I know it was a male because they have very red eyes as this one's were.
    You can estimate a turtle's age by counting the rings on his shell. That is not as easy as it sounds. Do you count only the rings on the main body of his shell? What about the rings on the flared edges  that encircle the bottom of his shell like a bumper? And what do you do when you get up towards the top and the rings become less distinct?
    Some sources on the web discuss turning Mr. Turtle over and counting the rings underneath. I chose not to disrespect him in this way.
    Instead I took the conservative route. I ignored his bumper and only counted the clearly raised rings on his hood. I counted 16 rings. So he was born in 1994. That's the year O. J. Simpson was arrested for the murder of his wife and Forrest Gump was a big hit.
    You will read on the internet that these guys can live to be 100 years old. But if you study more carefully you will see that the oldest reliably documented age is 50 years.
    Box Turtles will eat almost anything and they love mushrooms. I had recently noticed some nearby mushrooms that had been nibbled on and assumed they were eaten by squirrels. In retrospect I bet it was a turtle. Oddly enough they aren't known to eat green plants.
    When he moved through the woods occasionally he would come upon an obstacle that I was sure would be too much for him. But he conquered hurdles without interruption. Like some sort of prehistoric ATV.
    Male turtles face an unusual risk. When a male mates with a female he has to stand upright against her back. He may fall backwards after mating and if he can't right himself he will starve to death. No kidding. I read this on the Smithsonian's web site. So now I have to run around in the woods rescuing poor male turtles who are stuck on their backs.
    And get this. After mating the female may lay eggs for four years afterwards!
    When he felt that the photo shoot was over our star just walked off. No muss. No fuss.
    I think his legs and tail look very much like those of an elephant!