Blandings Turtle

When my daughter and I saw this turtle crossing the Kal-Haven Trail, we immediately knew it wasn't any of the four Michigan turtles we could name off the top of our heads (Painted, Snapping, Softshell, or Box) but neither of us could remember it. A quick visit to this Michigan Herps webpage showed us it was a Blanding's Turtle (Emys blandingii or Emydoidea blandingii).

The turtle was fresh from the pond, with duckweed on its shell, most likely on her way to lay eggs on a warm day in late Spring.

Blanding's Turtles are listed as a species of special concern in Michigan.