Woodland Box Turtle

Understanding and Protecting the Woodland Box Turtles

The Virginia Herpetological Society was founded in 1958 and offers public education and trainings on identifying local amphibians and reptiles and conserving their habitats. Twice a year they publish research that contains field notes and information that has been submitted by its members. On their website you can report local sightings of the Woodland Box Turtle as well as the Virginia Eastern Spadefoot Frog.

The Slow Pace of the Woodland Box Turtle

The Woodland Box Turtle has a wide geographic range, extending from southeastern Maine to the Great Lakes region and south through Virginia to Texas and northern Florida. With a home range of close to 2 acres and a speed of approximately 0.25 mph, the Woodland Box turtles typically can be found near ponds or meadows with hatchings and juvenile turtles primarily inhabiting streams and ponds (Species Spotlight - Woodland Box Turtle (U.S. National Park Service), n.d.). The diet of juvenile turtles reflects this aquatic lifestyle as they are more carnivorous, eating insects, larvae, and slugs. In contrast, adult turtles venture onto land for their foraging, resulting in a more varied diet. They consume seeds, roots, and amphibians, and have even been known to eat poisonous toadstools. These toadstools can make the turtles' flesh toxic, further deterring potential predators (Species Spotlight - Woodland Box Turtle (U.S. National Park Service), n.d.).

Though not on the endangered list, they are listed as threatened in the state of Virginia. Habitat loss from urban development and agriculture has fragmented turtle habitats, isolating populations and leading to a high number of road crossing deaths (Woodland Box Turtle Reporting, 2025). These losses coupled with the fascination of colleting them as pets, has led to a decline in their numbers. When seen in nature it is best to leave them alone and report the sighting to help researchers in their collection of data!

Resources:

Species Spotlight - Woodland Box Turtle (U.S. National Park Service). (n.d.). Www.nps.gov. https://www.nps.gov/articles/species-spotlight-box-turtle.htm

Woodland Box Turtle Reporting. (2025). Virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com. https://virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/reptiles/turtles/woodland-box-turtle/boxturtle-reporting/boxturtle-reportingform.htm

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