Wild Box Turtle behaviour

Question
Amanda, I recently found a small area with around 75 box turtles backed into holes in the ground just their heads out .This is a dry wooded creek bed that floods often , some turtles had water up to the heads . No eggs present in any empty holes. In 50 years I have never seen this , what are they doing ? I know they dig holes for the winter but this is July in Illinois , 80 degrees .

Answer
Hi Tom,

Wow 75 box turtles.  You are very lucky as I've never seen a box turtle in the wild (I live in Seattle).  

Box turtles burrow even in the summer.  You mentioned that this creek is dry, but floods often, so it sounds to me like the turtles have burrowed themselves in the ground until the water returns.  You mention it floods often so it sounds like they know the water will return (instinctivily, of course) and are just riding out the dry spell.  Even if they aren't water turtles, box turtles need water especially in the summer.  If they go looking for another water source they risk getting eaten or hurt.  So instead they are just chilling, conserving water so they don't become dehydrated.

I personally would take the opportunity to kiss each and every one of them since they have their heads poking out.

-Amanda