Natural History
LIFE: The ornate box turtle is a uniquely Iowan turtle
because it is the only Iowan turtle that is fully
terrestrial. These box turtles grow to be approximately
5 inches in carapace length, with a carapace that is
high domed and tortoise-looking. The carapace has
yellow stripes on a black/brown background color,
with a large yellow vertebral stripe down the back. The
skin color of this turtle is black or olive colored, with
many yellow, orange, and red spots on the front legs
and head. Once these turtles reach adulthood, they
begin mating during the spring season. Ornate box
turtles dig nests in sandy soils, typically for five to six
eggs. The eggs hatch approximately 2-3 months after
being laid.

HABITAT AND RANGE: The box turtle is only
found in few, small scattered populations along the
Mississippi Alluvial plain in eastern Iowa, and in
isolated pockets with suitable habitat in western,
northwestern, and eastern and southern parts of Iowa
(LeClere, 2020). These turtles require sandy, open
areas. Unfortunately, their habitats are disappearing
rapidly due to habitat loss.

DIET: Ornate box turtles consume mostly insects and
earthworms, but they are willing to stray from this diet
when necessary. Particularly, these box turtles enjoy
carrion, but box turtles will eat any dead animals.
When in season, box turtles will also eat many kinds
of vegetation, such as berries, dandelions, prickly pear
cacti, and other fruits and flowers.

CONSERVATION STATUS: Ornate box turtles are
threatened. This means that it is illegal to kill or
collect this species by law in Iowa (LeClere, 2020).

SOURCE: LeClere, J. (2020). Ornate Box Turtle
(Terrapene ornata). Retrieved July 20, 2020, from
http://www.herpnet.net/Iowa-
Herpetology/reptiles/turtles/ornate-box-turtleterrapene-ornata/

Life History of Hartman Reserve’s Ornate Box Turtles
Hartman Reserve’s ornate box turtle, Myrtle, was
brought to us by a park ranger from McFarlane Park in
2013. Calico (Callie), our other ornate box turtle was
found in Hartman Reserve's mulch pile by a working
volunteer group in the summer of 2019. Since ornate
box turtles are very territorial, and were found outside
their ranges, they could not be released back into the
wild. If we did put them back them they would forever
be wandering around and would not mate. We know
they are both female due to their dull eye colors, as
males have brighter eyes. These two box turtles will
happily live out the rest of their lives at Hartman.



​SCIENTIFIC NAME: TERRRAPENE ORNATA