From the Editor
Wendtwoods Park | Photo by The Woodlands Outdoor Pulse
If you’ve walked along any waterway in The Woodlands you’ve likely seen turtles stacked like pancakes on a half-submerged log, necks stretched toward the humid Texas sun. Meet the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)—the most common freshwater turtle in The Woodlands and one of the most recognizable reptiles in North America.
Nature Note
Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)
🌎 A Native Here — An Invader Elsewhere
In The Woodlands, red-eared sliders are right at home. They are native to East Texas and the broader Mississippi River basin down to the Gulf Coast. Our warm ponds, slow-moving creeks, and sunny basking areas are exactly what they evolved for.
Yet their hardiness has created a global paradox.
Because they’ve long been sold as pets, sliders have been released worldwide and now live on every continent except Antarctica. In many places, they outcompete local turtle species for food and basking space and are considered one of the world’s most invasive reptiles.
But here at home, they’re simply part of our native aquatic community and are a reminder that context matters in ecology.
By J. N. Stuart. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, via Flickr
By Jim, the Photographer. CC BY 2.0, via Flickr
Species Facts from Texas Parks and Wildlife:
Red-eared sliders are medium sized turtles with a dark green oval shell, marked with yellow in younger turtles, green legs with thin yellow stripes, and a green head with a red stripe behind the eye.
Some red-eared sliders live more than 30 years.
Red-eared sliders are found in most permanent slow-moving water sources with mud bottoms in the eastern three quarters of the state.
🦠 The Stealth Survivors
Red-eared sliders are remarkably tough. Research shows they can carry certain viruses and bacteria without appearing sick. Their strong immune systems allow them to tolerate pathogens that might seriously impact more sensitive wildlife species.
❄️ Built for Extremes (Even Freezes)
Sliders have some surprising adaptations:
Winter brumation: During rare hard freezes, they settle into muddy pond bottoms and dramatically slow their metabolism.
Cloacal respiration: They can absorb small amounts of oxygen from water through specialized tissues near their tail—an unusual survival strategy that helps them endure cold snaps.
Temperature-dependent sex determination: Nest temperature determines whether hatchlings become male or female. Warmer nests tend to produce more females.
Vibration sensitivity: They may not hear well, but they feel vibrations extremely well, which is why they slide into the water when you walk near them.
☀️ Why the Turtle Pile-Ups?
Those stacked turtles aren’t social gatherings. They’re competing for prime real estate.
Basking helps sliders in the following four ways:
regulating body temperature;
aiding digestion;
reducing shell parasites; and
boosting immune function.
In resource-limited ponds, sliders are especially efficient at converting food into growth. That adaptability is one reason they thrive in human-altered waterways like neighborhood ponds and suburban lakes.
🌿 The Accidental Environmentalist?
In highly altered waterways where sensitive species struggle, red-eared sliders may quietly provide the following ecological benefits:
dispersing seeds of aquatic plants;
helping break down leaf litter;
contributing nutrients back into the food web; and
providing eggs and hatchlings that feed raccoons, snakes, herons, and other predators.
They’re not conservation heroes, but they are active participants in our suburban ecosystem.
🏡 The Takeaway
The red-eared slider is a symbol of resilience in a human-shaped landscape. It thrives where many species cannot. When you see one basking along one of our waterways, you’re looking at a reptile that has mastered life alongside neighborhoods, boardwalks, and backyard ponds.
A few important reminders for families:
Wash hands after any contact with turtles or pond water (they can carry Salmonella).
Never release a pet turtle into local ponds. Sliders have strong homing instincts and often die trying to return to their original territory. Released pets also introduce disease risk to wild populations.
Observe. Photograph. Appreciate. But let wild turtles stay wild.
Park Pocket
Wendtwoods Park
Wendtwoods Park in the Village of Creekside Park offers amenities for all ages, blending active spaces with peaceful gardens. Sports enthusiasts can enjoy multi-purpose fields, basketball, and tennis courts. Playgrounds cater to different age groups, while nature lovers can explore the community and conservation garden. Families can relax in the shaded pavilion, use BBQ pits, or picnic at tables. Visitors can fish in the pond, swim in Wendtwoods Pool, and access drinking fountains and restrooms.
Location: 8950 Creekside Green Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77375 (View Map)
Fun Fact: A whimsical public art piece is integrated into the playground area. It alludes to one of the three nature themes playfully incorporated throughout the park: irises, frogs, and waves.
Community Corner
Community Garden Demonstration | February 28 at 1 p.m.
Bear Branch Community Garden, 5205 Research Forest Dr.
Join The Woodlands Green to learn about gardening best practices for carrots, radishes, cabbages, kale, and more. They’ll also discuss measuring rain as part of cocorahs.org—Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network—a nationwide volunteer program. For more information email [email protected]
Junior Urban Naturalist Club | March 1 at 1 p.m.
W.G. Jones State Forest Northside Parking Area, 1328 FM 1488, Conroe
This FREE EVENT is for kids ages 6 and up.
We will be walking down into one of the creeks at WG Jones State Forest. Studying geological patterns, types of rocks & minerals, and will be using our eyes and ears to identify our surroundings. Plus, take home some local petrified wood from your instructor!
SPACE IS LIMITED - PLEASE REGISTER
Adventure Activity
Kids often aren't thrilled about going for a walk, especially as often as adults like to. This is understandable because walking can seem boring if you don't see the benefits right away. In the past, walking was more about survival and learning important skills, like identifying plants and dangers.
Since walking is good for kids' development, consider this fun game created by Katy Bowman to make walks more interesting for them. It's a scavenger hunt that shifts the focus from just walking to exploring.
The scavenger hunt has three categories: "find its," "hear its," and "do its."
"Find its" are things like spiders, slugs, flowers, berries, and anything else you can spot in your area.
"Hear its" include sounds like airplanes, bird songs, water moving, and other local noises.
"Do its" are activities like walking on a log, swinging from a branch, running up or down a hill, picking up trash, and even a bit of barefoot walking.
Download the game sheet to help you keep track, and you can add your own items to make it more fun and relevant to where you live.
HINT: Spending time with the same few people day after day is fairly unnatural. Kids prefer a herd and can benefit from the interaction with kids of varying ages. We always try to take "extra kids" with us whenever we go out walking, which is almost every day. This not only makes walking easier for us (the adults), but it can serve as a relief for our friends and family with little ones. #vitaminCOMMUNITY!
This newsletter provides information about the local ecosystem and resources to help families spend more time outside in nature in and around The Woodlands, Texas.
Have a recommendation for us to include in a future issue? Reply to this email and let us know!