What is your first thought when you see these three turtles together? Are they just friends or more than friends? The turtles seem to be pretty comfortable sharing a confined space and there is plenty of space in our minds for varied interpretations on the nature of their relationship. According to the old saying, “two’s a couple and three’s a crowd”—is that always true?
Whatever the case, the turtles at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge have been definitely been enjoying our recent sunny days. My turtle identification skills are not very good, but I think these all may be Eastern Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta picta), though there is a chance that they might be Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans).
I love images like this one that allow viewers to use their creativity to interpret what they see and to generate in their minds their own mini-narrative of what is going on. Ménage à trois or just friends—you make the call.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
nice blog post as always keep it up
Thanks. Today I was in a playful mood and decided to write a posting to match that mood.
They look comfortable with each other’s company.
Haha
Meeting of the minds in mutual meditation
Nice shot and unusual trio in my experience. They might look each other in the eye at any moment! A turtle soul to soul moment?
It’s fun to compose narratives about what I see with human emotions and motivations, even though I know fully well that wild creatures act differently from humans.