Porch Notes
The Painted Turtle
Outdoors
Here’s the one chosen by kids — which is why it might be the most Michigan symbol of all.
In the mid-1990s, a class of fifth-graders in Niles noticed something odd: their state had a bird, a tree, a flower, a fish, even a soil, but no official state reptile. So they did something about it — researching candidates, settling on the painted turtle, and lobbying the Legislature until, in 1995, the painted turtle became the official state reptile. It was a small masterclass in how government actually works, taught by ten-year-olds.
They chose well. The painted turtle — named for the bright yellow and red markings that edge its dark shell and striped skin — is the turtle Michiganders actually see: lined up sunning on a half-sunk log on nearly any pond, lake, or slow river in the state, sliding into the water with a plip the moment you get close. Common, hardy, and genuinely pretty, it’s a fixture of a Michigan summer.
Where to see it
Any sunny day at a pond, marsh, or lake edge, spring through fall — scan the logs poking out of the water for a row of basking turtles.