I learned something interesting about painted turtles recently, or at least interesting to the few of us who sometimes wonder about how these little freshwater reptiles get by. As fall starts easing her way into our lives, our foggy and cloudy mornings are increasing here on the coast. Yet, it’s not unusual to see several PTs basking on a log or rock during a morning that feels like we’re all in a black and white movie.
A little online searching revealed (especially in Ohio State research) that it’s not only commonplace to see painted turtles basking on a cloudy day, but that the odds are that we’ll see more PTs basking on cloudy days than on sunny days.
Painted turtles still bask on cloudy days primarily to dry their skin and shells. This not only helps kill harmful fungi, bacteria, and algae, but the residual thermal energy in the ambient air is needed to bring or maintain the turtles’ temperatures to the levels they need to care for themselves.
That is, even without direct sun, turtles must absorb ambient heat. Because they warm up much slower under clouds, they must stay out on logs or rocks longer to reach their target temperature. If each turtle spends a longer time basking, it is more likely that, at any one time, there will be more turtles basking in black and white.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on August 23, 2026.)