Pond Slider

Day 211: Pond Sliders (Trachemys scripta) are an invasive species. Once sold in pet stores, many of them have been released into the wild by owners who became bored with turtle-keeping, and now they are proliferating in many lakes here in the Pacific Northwest. It's been several years since I spotted and identified my first one at Lake St. Clair, and I've watched the population grow. For that matter, I've watched the turtles themselves grow from palm-sized youngesters to foot-long behemoths like this long-clawed male. He was sunning himself on a floating log where I had seen three earlier in the day as I passed by two women kayaking together. They engaged me in conversation, and I mentioned the invasive nature of these turtles, and was shocked to hear one of the women respond, "I'm glad I rescued one I found a few weeks ago." This is the attitude of too many people when it comes to invasives. Plants are "pretty," turtles are "adorable." No thought is given to the damage they are doing to native populations and habitats, and regrettably, education appears to have no effect on the individuals who won't look beyond the visual appeal of cute varmints and showy weeds. Our short-sightedness will be our undoing for, as any turtle will attest, slow and steady wins the race.