Tuesday, May 9, 2017,

This is a pair of Red-eared Sliders that I saw at Frank Melville Park in Setauket. To be honest, I never noticed the little guy till I was reviewing my shots when I got home. To the uninitiated this might seem like an obvious choice for a Mother’s Day post. Unfortunately, there is no real reason to believe that these two turtles are related. Like most other turtle species, Red-eared Sliders make their nests and lay their eggs, and that’s it. It’s a system that works for them. This is a species of turtle that doesn’t belong this far north but they have been conquering new territory thanks mostly to the pet trade, despite the fact that it is no longer legal to sell Red-eared Sliders in New York. Unfortunately, these turtles were able to establish themselves in our waters long before any such sanctions took place. Nature has no need to wait for politicians to take notice of the obvious. JK