The swift and sleek mustang has long been Milton’s mascot, but it was a mother snapping turtle, making her way across the Academy’s track and fields that captured attention this season.
“The turtles are laying their eggs near the football field,” explains Michael Edgar, science faculty member. “Now I’m trying to find out if anyone has seen any baby turtles heading back to the pond.” The plodding turtles will grow to about one to one-and-a-half feet in length in their carapace (shell) and are more aggressive on land than in their preferred environment, water, Michael says.

“If they feel trapped they will try to bite, and they can move their head very quickly. I would not suggest putting any digits near the mouth of the turtle.

“They come onto land to lay their eggs,” Michael says. “They will pick a sandy location and dig a hole and lay eggs there. Then the mom is back to the pond. As with most reptiles they give no parental care. But they are great animals, and add a lot to pond ecology,” he adds.

Because of its location just eight miles from Boston, Milton Academy is often perceived as an urban boarding school. But Milton also enjoys the rich natural world on its campus and beyond in the nearby Blue Hills Reservation, which is home to flora, fauna, coyotes, turkey vultures and dragonflies, as well as several rare and endangered species in Massachusetts, such as the timber rattlesnake.