We live in a rural area and enjoy the variety of wildlife that we frequently see, but our favorite outdoor “friends” are the large snapping turtles that use our yard as their crossroad.

Each spring and autumn, we have a ringside seat to watch the turtles as they migrate between a small pond across the street to another one in our back yard.

They spend the winter with us and then travel back across the street for the summer.

We get such a kick out of seeing them slowly creep across our yard on their seasonal journey.

Snapping turtles are quite large and have a lifespan of at least 47 years.

With their prehistoric look, it’s easy to believe turtles have been around for over 200 million years and were roaming New England’s landscape even before the dinosaurs!