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Home » Blog » All About Turtles

All About Turtles

July 11, 2019 Explore Nature

All About Turtles

Turtles! Take a streamside walk this time of year on a warm sunny day and you’re bound to see them. Here in Elkhart County, our many waterways provide fantastic opportunities to encounter them. Each species has their own personality and quirks, making them irresistable to observe. Here are just a few of our shelled friends found in our area:

Eastern Box Turtle (Nickname: Boxer)
Size: 4–8.5″ | Habitat: Moist woodland areas
Notes: With a hinged shell, this turtle can tightly seal shut (like a box) to keep predators out.

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🍃 We Have a Winner! 🍃 Our 🔎𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗳 challenge 🍃 We Have a Winner! 🍃
Our 🔎𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗳 challenge in the Spring/Summer ’26 edition of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴 Newsletter had readers searching high and low—and you delivered! 👀
Hidden in the newsletter was the leaf from our logo, and everyone who spotted it and sent in their entry was entered into a prize draw. 
🎉 Congratulations to our lucky winner, Jody Miller! 🎉
Jody will receive a beautiful WPA-style poster of the Elkhart County Park of her choice—perfect for bringing a little outdoor inspiration home.
Thank you to everyone who joined the hunt and shared your sightings with us. Stay tuned for the next Find the Leaf challenge coming this fall!
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#TheCompass #FindTheLeaf #ContestWinner #elkhartcountyparks
So excited to announce that Jelly Bean, the origin So excited to announce that Jelly Bean, the original Canine Hooligan and 2025 International Trick Dog Champion will be joining us at Dogapalooza on May 9. 

Jelly Bean will present a demo at 12:30pm.  You won't want to miss it!

https://elkhartcountyparks.org/events/dogapalooza-5-9-26/
DOGAPALOOZA is only 3 weeks away! Saturday, May DOGAPALOOZA  is only 3 weeks away! 

Saturday, May 9 --- 10am-2pm --- Ox Bow County Park

- Fundraiser Run/Walk with the Humane Society of Elkhart County
- Food Trucks 
- Doggy Vendors
- Demonstrations
- Live Music
- Face Painting
- and more!

Get all the details here - https://elkhartcountyparks.org/events/dogapalooza-5-9-26/
🌸🌿Wildflowers are finally blooming! Here's three h 🌸🌿Wildflowers are finally blooming! Here's three hikes in our parks to put a spring in your step. 

𝗛𝗜𝗞𝗘 1️⃣: Bonneyville Mill » Kum Mol Rie 
📍GPS: 41.72227, -85.76172
🗓️TIMING: Late March to Mid-April

Part beauty, part beast, flowering Skunk Cabbage is the wetland's harbinger of spring. Blooming alongside it, the cheery yellows of Marsh Marigold (a member of the buttercup family) will surely brighten your day.

From Kum Mol Rie Shelter, hike the boardwalk section of the North Loop (closest to CR 131 and the pine woods bordering the parking lot).

🔎LOOK FOR:
🥬Eastern Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)
🏵️Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
--
𝗛𝗜𝗞𝗘 2️⃣: Ox Bow » Black Maple
📍GPS: 41.63421, -85.90942
🗓️TIMING: Mid to Late April

At the heart of the park, this short-but-sweet hike from Black Maple to Honey Locust offers early spring ephemerals ("short-lived") before the trees even leaf out. The forest is dappled in pink-and-white Springbeauty, purple Violets, and yellow Dutchman's Breeches.

Enter the trail by the shelter and follow the path left at the split. Continue NE and take another left to connect to the access road (near Honey Locust).

🔎LOOK FOR:
🌸Virginia Springbeauty (Claytonia virginica)
🪻Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia)
🌿Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)
--
𝗛𝗜𝗞𝗘 3️⃣: River Preserve » Benton Dam
📍GPS: 41.50313, -85.76401
🗓️TIMING: Late April to Mid-May

Tucked in a quiet corner by the Elkhart River, this peaceful woodland loop is beautiful any time of the year, but seeing the forest filled with Trilliums, Trout Lily, and Blue Phlox is a dreamy experience.

Take the prairie trail until you reach the dam, then follow the river downstream to enter the woodland trail loop.

🔎LOOK FOR:
🌼Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
⚜️Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium Americanum)
💠Blue Phlox ( Phlox divaricate)

💚 Remember to respect these beautiful fragile habitats...stay on the trails, watch your step (especially if taking photos), and leave the flowers unpicked to protect biodiversity.💚
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