Author Archives: Ryan D.

About Ryan D.

Where: Mass Audubon Headquarters, Lincoln | Who: A Vermont ex-pat, lifelong skier, musician, photographer, motorcycle enthusiast, budding native plant gardener, and pun master | Favorite part of the job: Working with wonderful colleagues to make nature accessible to everyone

Painted Turtle © Alyssa Mattei

Take 5: Painted Turtles

A welcome and colorful sign of spring, Painted Turtles are already out sunning themselves after a long, cold winter spent buried under the mud at the bottom of ponds and lakes across the region.

Each fall, as water temperatures drop, Painted Turtles, like many other reptiles, will enter a deep sleep known as brumation—the cold-blooded equivalent of hibernation in mammals—in order to survive the winter. Growth stops, their heart rate slows to a few beats per minute, and their body temperatures drop to conserve energy. For months, they rely on built-up stores of glycogen, a special type of sugar, for the little bit of energy they need to stay alive during brumation.

Unlike warm-blooded hibernators that are slow to rouse in the spring, it’s often much easier for brumaters to wake up as the weather warms, so it’s not uncommon to see a Painted Turtle out basking as early as February if there has been a warming spell or particularly mild winter.

Visit our website to learn all about the ten native species of turtles (plus one invasive) that can be found in Massachusetts as well as what to do if you find a turtle crossing the road and enjoy these five photos of Painted Turtles soaking up the sunshine from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. Have you seen any Painted Turtles out on your springtime walks and bike rides? Let us know in the comments!

Painted Turtle © Alyssa Mattei
Painted Turtle © Alyssa Mattei
Painted Turtle © David Ennis
Painted Turtle © David Ennis
Painted Turtles © Richard Alvarnaz
Painted Turtles © Richard Alvarnaz
Painted Turtle © Sachin Sawe
Painted Turtle © Sachin Sawe
Painted Turtle © Suzanne Hirschman
Painted Turtle © Suzanne Hirschman
Fall River in Otis, MA © Geoffrey Coelho

Take 5: Babbling Brooks

While any amount of time spent in nature has been shown to boost your mood, reduce stress levels, and improve overall health and wellbeing, there is something particularly soothing about the gentle, continuous babbling of a forest stream. Close your eyes and picture a quiet spot in the woods somewhere, with moss-covered rocks and warm sunlight filtering down through the canopy, dappling the water and leaf litter with a haphazard checkerboard of verdant light.

Getting outside to enjoy special places like these can be challenging right now, so here are five gorgeous photos of babbling brooks from our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest for you to enjoy. We hope that imagining yourself in the gentle repose of these scenes will bring you a moment of peace, serenity, and clarity.

Fall River in Otis, MA © Geoffrey Coelho
Fall River in Otis, MA © Geoffrey Coelho
Waterfall over mossy rocks at Mount Everett State Reservation, South Egremont, MA © Rebekah Ford
Waterfall over mossy rocks at Mount Everett State Reservation, South Egremont, MA © Rebekah Ford
Wahconah Falls in Dalton, MA © JG Coleman
Wahconah Falls in Dalton, MA © JG Coleman
Doane's Falls, Royalston, MA © Trevor Meunier
Doane’s Falls, Royalston, MA © Trevor Meunier
A hidden waterfall in Colrain, MA © Vivien Venskowski
A hidden waterfall in Colrain, MA © Vivien Venskowski