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Box Turtle's Backyard

Box Turtle
Outdoor Program Specialist GSCM Day Camps and
Non-overnight Events

Welcome to Box Turtle’s Backyard! On this site I’m going to highlight things going on at our wonderful camp properties. I’ll also be talking about our wonderful year-round residents: the plants and animals that live here. Additionally, you can find updates to the nature programs we offer and any news or information about the Caitlin Dunbar Nature Centers.

With the New Year starting I figured I'd update you all on some of the things going on!

THIS MONTH'S FEATURED SERVICE PROJECT:
Click here to check out the cool things Troop 496 of Baltimore County got to do to help the environment.

 

We'll be kicking off the 2nd Annual Caitlin Dunbar Nature Photography Contest at the Grand Opening on March 9th and you'll have all year to get some great nature pictures!

Can you believe in just 2 short months we'll be opening the doors to the Caitlin Dunbar Nature Center at Camp Ilchester? Time sure flies! We have lots of troops and individual girls working hard on projects for the center. If you are interested in doing a project feel free to email me directly at boxturtle@gscm.org.

Since it's winter I figured I'd give you all a preview of some of the year round residents of the new nature center. Most of these guys still need names so if you come out to the Grand Opening on March 9th you'll get a chance to enter a name for one or more of them.

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You can be one of the lucky girls that will have fun helping to weigh, measure, and take good care of these little guys.

First up are our lovable hatchling Diamondback Terrapins. Three of these little guys have been given to the Nature Center as part of a Head Start Program by the Terrapin Institute. Some lucky girls are going to have fun helping to weigh, measure, and take good care of these little guys. Normally turtles this young and small are on the menu for just about every predator out there. What we want to do is to raise these guys in a protected environment to a larger size that'll give them a better chance of survival. These little guys will be released back into the wild this summer and you, the girls, will get to do that too!

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Madagascar Hissing Roaches
Check out this Emperor Scorpion!Click to enlarge

 


Next we have a live donation to the Caitlin Dunbar Nature Center: Madagascar Hissing Roaches! These little (or not so little for roaches) guys and gals were donated by Annie Braunschweig.

They'll make a great addition to the insect section of the Nature Center right alongside the Emperor Scorpion donated by GSCM staff member Ellen Lowe!

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The Corn Snake is also called a Red Rat Snake.

 

And last but not least! Our two newest additions are a Corn Snake and an Eastern Chain King Snake. These two beauties are both native to the Maryland area. The Corn Snake, also called a red rat snake, is many times found in farm areas where it helps keep rodent populations in check.

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The white bands on the black body of this snake indicate that it's a Chain Snake.

 


The Chain King Snake is so named because the white bands around the black body give the appearance of a chain pattern. The term king snake comes from the fact that these guys love to eat other snakes, including poisonous ones!

These and many other critters can be seen at the Nature Center, so mark your calendars for March 9th and come celebrate with us!