The temperatures this past weekend soared past 60 degrees (16 degrees C), bringing the turtles up from the mud on the bottom of the ponds at my local marsh. Most of the turtles crowded together on the log in the first shot appear to be Eastern Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta picta), but I think I detect at least one Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans).
Not all of turtles, however, wanted to bask in the sun in a communal environment. The second image shows a turtle that managed to find its own log and was enjoying a few moments of contemplative solitude.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Our ponds are still ice covered, so the turtles still sleep. With a few days of temps in the 40s though, the ice and snow is melting fast.
What a treat to see the pond come back to life. I guess it won’t be long before you are seeing butterflies and dragonflies.
We may not be quite ready for the dragonflies and butterflies, but we seem to be saying goodbye to the snow and ice that have been with us more than usual tis winter.
I have become a fan of seeing those little turtle lineups. I would love to be able to photograph them some day.
I love turtles! My photos of them lined up on logs are never good because my camera is so small, but I can never resist taking them. I haven’t been inside Seneca Creek Park for a long time because it’s been either snowy or muddy, so I missed seeing whether any of our local turtles had come up to enjoy the balmy temperatures. Thanks for sharing these.