Ambassador since 2015
Chrysemys picta marginata
- Midland painted turtles are very common throughout Kane County and can be found in ponds, creeks and the Fox River.
- Many people keep painted turtles as pets. The western painted turtle, C. p. bellii, is prized for its highly patterned red plastron, or bottom shell. Even though they do not naturally occur in Illinois, western painted turtles can be found in our local waterways. These individuals are pets that either escaped or were intentionally released—a practice that is harmful to both the pet and the wild population to which it was introduced.
- Picta showed up at Hickory Knolls quite unexpectedly. She was spotted in our turtle pond one day, and a shoe box with painted turtle droppings inside was found in a nearby trash can. Picta has a scar on one side of her shell, indicating an injury that has healed. We assume that she was rescued and rehabilitated, then left at Hickory Knolls in hopes that she would not get hurt again.