The bog turtle is the smallest of the 8 species of turtles found in Connecticut. It has an orange or yellow head patch which is sometimes divided into 2 parts. The large scutes of the dark carapace, or upper shell, have yellow or reddish centers. Bog turtles currently occur in scattered colonies in western Connecticut, western Massachusetts, and through New York, south to northeast Maryland, southern Virginia, western North Carolina and Georgia. Bog turtles breed in late April to early June after emerging from hibernation.
Nests are usually in tussocks or on sphagnum moss in sunny areas of a bog.
Incubation lasts for 7 to 8 weeks and hatching occurs from July to early September. In Connecticut, eggs may overwinter in the nest and hatch in the spring when there is an abundant food supply. The nests are often preyed on by skunks and raccoons. The young are only 1 inch long at hatching and are often taken by a variety of birds and mammals. Bog turtles reach sexual maturity at 5 to 8 years of age.