It’s summer and the basking is easy. It has been warm here lately, but our ponds have remained reasonably full and our Painted Turtles don’t seem to mind the humidity. This young PT seemed disdainful of us and the bee (or fly?) on his back yesterday:

There are indications that turtles need to bask in the sun’s rays to help regulate their temperature, obtain vitamin D, and to kill their parasites.

Nonetheless, they also have a seemingly counterproductive summer habit: they often pile on top of each other while basking.

The main scientific theories about this piling behavior seem to be that it is a form of competition for the best spot, a turtle social trait, and/or a defensive strategy (more eyes and ears). Such a grouping. is called a “bale of turtles.” This, reportedly, is because a collection of these compacted and plated reptiles is thought by some to look like a bale of bound things. To us, one turtle may look like it’s carrying a bale, but a group of them usually looks like a bale of bales that has come undone.

(Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Baleful