We’re down to two painted turtles regularly basking in our pond, and one of them has not been so regular lately. The rest of the bale may already have begun their dormant period a bit early. In past years, some hung around until October and, once or twice, a few stayed above water into November.
PTs winter at the bottoms of ponds and lakes, dug into the mud and sediment. They don’t go into hibernation, but they do slow down their metabolism dramatically. In this “brumation” state, they reportedly can tolerate periods of regularly breathing little or no oxygen, but they apparently do absorb some of the oxygen in the water through their skin.
They usually emerge here in April, but occasionally some eager PTs will come up in March for an early start to the spring and summer. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on September 10 and 12, 2025.)