06/12/2026
Getting up-close-and-personal with this beauty of western waterways: the western painted turtle.
It’s —a great time to appreciate their striking colors. Western painted turtles feature intricate red markings along the edges of their shell and limbs, bold yellow striping on their heads, and a bright red or orange plastron (underside).
Their dark, patterned shells help them blend into ponds and slow-moving streams, offering a measure of camouflage from predators.
📷: Western painted turtle