I surprised this Box Turtle as much as he surprised me the other day as I was walking about in my yard. (Click on blog link for other photo.)

“Box turtles hibernate, called brumation, a state of dormancy triggered by consistent temperatures below 60 degrees. During brumation, they burrow deep underground, slow their metabolism, and live off stored body fat until spring. This is a natural and important part of their annual cycle for health and reproduction.”
This guy hid in his shell for a bit and then went sauntering about. Beautiful pattern on his shell… he blends in so easily with the leaves this time of year.