From all over the pond, they came swimming by dozens.
Whole families of turtles, with uncles and cousins.
from Yertle the Turtle
written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, pseud.
Random House Books for Young Readers, 1958
Remember the spotted lanternflies from a few weeks ago? (Seeing Spots 9/24/24) They are still a problem, but with cooler and downright cold weather coming, we’ll get a reprieve while they overwinter in their egg cases.
But other invasive species are in our midst. High on the list are those cute little red-eared sliders. The very same turtles we used to buy at Woolworth’s for a quarter or 50 cents. The plastic pool with its ramp up to its plastic palm tree was an investment. It cost more than the turtle did but could be used again and again.
My brother and sister and I had several baby red-eared sliders. Usually keeping only one at a time, ours didn’t live very long. We buried them in the backyard, one by one. They were all named Oscar. I don’t know why.
But for those who actually know how to take good care of them, a red-eared slider that starts out the size of a silver dollar could grow up to be the size of a dinner plate in five or six years.
And that’s where the problem begins. A turtle that size requires a large tank. Fifty gallons at minimum, but 75-100 is ideal. The turtles like to swim and bask, too, so a water feature needs to have a dry, rocky complement. A heat lamp to substitute for the real sun, a filtering system to keep the water clean, and a variety of fresh and canned (jarred?) food (we provided our Oscars with strawberries, raw hamburger, peeled grapes, and turtle sticks) makes for an expensive “habitat.”
My younger daughter was in middle school when her dad and family decided to get a Dalmatian. Since no one was playing with their turtle anymore, she asked to bring him home when she returned from her visit. We kept Eric, a red-eared slider, for a couple of years and watched him grow to the size of a bread-and-butter plate. He only had a 20-gallon tank, and we had to clean it almost every day to keep the smell under control. He liked the running water in the bathroom sink and wiggled his feet when I brushed his tummy with an old toothbrush.
Lots of people keep their turtles until they can’t or won’t take care of them any longer. I suppose the logical place to take them is a local body of water. A pond in a nearby park, a slow-moving stream, or a little, fresh-water lake sounds humane. And that’s what most people do.
But red-eared sliders, like most invasive species, out-proliferate the area’s natives. Food becomes more scarce or more plentiful throughout the food chain. Insects, plants, even small fish become red-eared-slider food, while algae are allowed to proliferate unchecked.
The day came when we knew we had to say goodbye to Eric. I didn’t want to just send him off to fend for himself. Would he know how to find food? New friends? A calm spot in the pond?
We took Eric to the same pet shop that had, several years before, sold us the 20-gallon tank and a bunch of fish to swim in it. He slipped into the turtle tank easily and never looked back. I’m sure he moved to a new forever home and made lots of friends.
So, I suppose I’ve always been an accidental environmentalist.
According to Keith Gisser from Herps Alive Foundation, the only way to control the red-eared slider population is to euthanize them or take them to an animal sanctuary. He runs one in South Euclid, Ohio, where I grew up, but more are needed.
Red-eared sliders are only one of a growing number of invasive species. The Burmese python (native to Myanmar, India, and lower China) got into Florida’s Everglades in a similar fashion as red-eared sliders and, “since 1997, have eaten most of the raccoons, opossums, and bobcats [in the Everglades].” Also, according to the same article, USGS (United States Geological Survey), “Marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits and foxes effectively disappeared.”
IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature) uses a science-led approach to inform policy to support conservation action all over the world. You can see the scope of their work on their website.
In 2017, they conducted a study of invasive species and found that “during the past 200 years, the number of new invasive species increased worldwide…” This is cause for concern because, just like the red-eared slider, other species can become dominant in their new location. Invasive species proliferation is the major cause of biodiversity loss and “the most common threat responsible for extinctions of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.”
Plants can become invasive species, too. Kudzu is native to Japan and southeast China. It was brought here on purpose to show at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Thought to be a beautiful ornamental, it has sturdy vines and its blooms smell sweet. It was planted abundantly throughout the South to control erosion. Once established, it can grow a foot a day.
Lots of species arrive accidentally in the soil of transplants, among pallets of produce, toys and other imports, or even on our clothes or shoes.
According to the USDA NISIC (National Invasive Species Information Center), some ways to control these pests include
mechanical: mow, chop, build barriers
biological: introduce native predators
chemical: spray pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides
cultural: encourage native plantings and domestic pets
manual: pick off those Japanese beetles and stomp on spotted lanternflies
NISIC, though, tells us the safest way to manage invasive species is by prevention.
Of course it does.
My book club decided on Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (William Morrow, 2024). I haven’t started it yet, but from the flap copy, it’s a “… wildly entertaining satire about a smaller Southern town, a pitched battle over banned books, and a little lending library that changes everything.” I can’t wait to get started.
-—Be curious! (and live local)
Whole families of turtles, with uncles and cousins.
from Yertle the Turtle
written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss, pseud.
Random House Books for Young Readers, 1958
Remember the spotted lanternflies from a few weeks ago? (Seeing Spots 9/24/24) They are still a problem, but with cooler and downright cold weather coming, we’ll get a reprieve while they overwinter in their egg cases.
But other invasive species are in our midst. High on the list are those cute little red-eared sliders. The very same turtles we used to buy at Woolworth’s for a quarter or 50 cents. The plastic pool with its ramp up to its plastic palm tree was an investment. It cost more than the turtle did but could be used again and again.
My brother and sister and I had several baby red-eared sliders. Usually keeping only one at a time, ours didn’t live very long. We buried them in the backyard, one by one. They were all named Oscar. I don’t know why.
But for those who actually know how to take good care of them, a red-eared slider that starts out the size of a silver dollar could grow up to be the size of a dinner plate in five or six years.
And that’s where the problem begins. A turtle that size requires a large tank. Fifty gallons at minimum, but 75-100 is ideal. The turtles like to swim and bask, too, so a water feature needs to have a dry, rocky complement. A heat lamp to substitute for the real sun, a filtering system to keep the water clean, and a variety of fresh and canned (jarred?) food (we provided our Oscars with strawberries, raw hamburger, peeled grapes, and turtle sticks) makes for an expensive “habitat.”
My younger daughter was in middle school when her dad and family decided to get a Dalmatian. Since no one was playing with their turtle anymore, she asked to bring him home when she returned from her visit. We kept Eric, a red-eared slider, for a couple of years and watched him grow to the size of a bread-and-butter plate. He only had a 20-gallon tank, and we had to clean it almost every day to keep the smell under control. He liked the running water in the bathroom sink and wiggled his feet when I brushed his tummy with an old toothbrush.
Lots of people keep their turtles until they can’t or won’t take care of them any longer. I suppose the logical place to take them is a local body of water. A pond in a nearby park, a slow-moving stream, or a little, fresh-water lake sounds humane. And that’s what most people do.
But red-eared sliders, like most invasive species, out-proliferate the area’s natives. Food becomes more scarce or more plentiful throughout the food chain. Insects, plants, even small fish become red-eared-slider food, while algae are allowed to proliferate unchecked.
The day came when we knew we had to say goodbye to Eric. I didn’t want to just send him off to fend for himself. Would he know how to find food? New friends? A calm spot in the pond?
We took Eric to the same pet shop that had, several years before, sold us the 20-gallon tank and a bunch of fish to swim in it. He slipped into the turtle tank easily and never looked back. I’m sure he moved to a new forever home and made lots of friends.
So, I suppose I’ve always been an accidental environmentalist.
According to Keith Gisser from Herps Alive Foundation, the only way to control the red-eared slider population is to euthanize them or take them to an animal sanctuary. He runs one in South Euclid, Ohio, where I grew up, but more are needed.
Red-eared sliders are only one of a growing number of invasive species. The Burmese python (native to Myanmar, India, and lower China) got into Florida’s Everglades in a similar fashion as red-eared sliders and, “since 1997, have eaten most of the raccoons, opossums, and bobcats [in the Everglades].” Also, according to the same article, USGS (United States Geological Survey), “Marsh rabbits, cottontail rabbits and foxes effectively disappeared.”
IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature) uses a science-led approach to inform policy to support conservation action all over the world. You can see the scope of their work on their website.
In 2017, they conducted a study of invasive species and found that “during the past 200 years, the number of new invasive species increased worldwide…” This is cause for concern because, just like the red-eared slider, other species can become dominant in their new location. Invasive species proliferation is the major cause of biodiversity loss and “the most common threat responsible for extinctions of amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.”
Plants can become invasive species, too. Kudzu is native to Japan and southeast China. It was brought here on purpose to show at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Thought to be a beautiful ornamental, it has sturdy vines and its blooms smell sweet. It was planted abundantly throughout the South to control erosion. Once established, it can grow a foot a day.
Lots of species arrive accidentally in the soil of transplants, among pallets of produce, toys and other imports, or even on our clothes or shoes.
According to the USDA NISIC (National Invasive Species Information Center), some ways to control these pests include
mechanical: mow, chop, build barriers
biological: introduce native predators
chemical: spray pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides
cultural: encourage native plantings and domestic pets
manual: pick off those Japanese beetles and stomp on spotted lanternflies
NISIC, though, tells us the safest way to manage invasive species is by prevention.
Of course it does.
My book club decided on Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (William Morrow, 2024). I haven’t started it yet, but from the flap copy, it’s a “… wildly entertaining satire about a smaller Southern town, a pitched battle over banned books, and a little lending library that changes everything.” I can’t wait to get started.
-—Be curious! (and live local)
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