Myrtle Lays Eggs!

The College mascot, Myrtle the Pond Turtle, gave us all a show recently. Because of her close affiliation with the Chemistry lab gals (see Scire, Edition #20, Staff, Friends for Three Years), she chose the backyard of the Alfriend Chemisty building to lay her eggs. It was a monumental moment for Grandma Subotich and Grandma Herr as they hovered around the delivery zone, encouraging Myrtle while taking pictures for the family digital album. When Myrtle was finished packing the earth around her unborn horde, she scurried back to the pond to let Mother Nature and the excited Grandmothers take charge. A protective basket was erected over the chosen spot to ward off danger. We are watching daily to see if the turtlets hatch. A day care has been prearranged to assist with getting the lit'lens off to a good start!

Myrtle makes haste to locate the site

She covers the eggs carefully

Finished, she sights the shortest route back to the pond

Myrtle takes her moment and charges down the hill

She returns home safely

Aaah, job well done…time to play again!

Other stories in Staff Section..
How much do you know about Jamaica? .
Jamaican National Symbols.
Third Annual College of Sciences Classified Appreciation Picnic

Phyllis Brown, Editor
College of Sciences Newsletter
SciNews@odu.edu
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