Day 24

Trudy Awakes

Much to my surprise, I noticed the earth had been turned up in a small patch of the Hidden Garden this morning.  I knew that somewhere nearby was where Trudy Turtle, my female Ornate Western Box Turtle, had gone underground last October.  With the weather unseasonably warm in ABQ (eat your heart out, DC), it was conceivable that she had broken hibernation almost a month earlier than last year. 


Sure enough, with a little gentle exploration, I found Trudy (at least the top of her shell) near the surface.  The video isn't very pretty, but it captures the first sighting of the season on March 4th.

The fake rock in the upper right of the video covers the riser for the sprinkler system.  It has heat tape wrapped around it that turns on at 39°F.  Last spring, on cold nights, Trudy would go inside the hollow space next to the riser and stay comfortably warm.