If You See a Turtle Digging Up Your Yard in Connecticut, Let it Be

I know it's hard to resist the urge, but if you find a turtle digging into the soft sand of your property during May, June, or July in Connecticut, let them be.

It's just starting to feel like Spring and Summer here, we're past Memorial Day 2024, and Connecticut's turtle advocates are sending up the warning posts on social media. In Connecticut, as of right now, May 28, 2024, pregnant turtles are roaming into unfamiliar territory as they search for a safe place to lay their eggs. It's turtle nesting season time Connecticut, and you should slow down around any body of water you drive past.

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According to ct.gov, during May, June, and July every year in Connecticut, our native land and sea turtles leave their usual digs to search for the perfect patch of soft, sandy earth that they feel is safe enough to dig a nest and lay eggs. Why should you let them be? The baby turtles are on their own as soon as they are in the dirt, left unattended, until they hatch out of the earth in early Fall. As time passes, threats to the baby turtles pass by every day, as you can imagine, the odds of even one turtle surviving an undisturbed Summer in Connecticut are astronomical.

How can you help? Slow down if you're driving past any body of water in Connecticut, from a pond to the Sound. Help them make it across a busy road, but use your head, don't put yourself in danger. If you find a fresh nest on your property and would like to help protect it, Ct.gov suggests you put an empty, upside-down laundry basket over the nest for the first week for some extra protection, but remember to take it off after the ground settles and animals can no longer sniff out the eggs.