It's turtle time in Tennessee! Virtual program is May 9 for UT Arboretum's nature club

The Southeast is rich in turtle diversity, and the Volunteer State is home to 15 species. The Eastern Box Turtle is the sole terrestrial one and the one we most often encounter, according to the a news release from the University of Tennessee Arboretum in Oak Ridge .

Join education coordinator Michelle Campanis and naturalist and author Stephen Lyn Bales via Zoom to learn about these creatures at 7 p.m. May 9. Because of scheduling issues, the UT Arboretum Society's May edition of the First Thursday Nature Supper Club is moved to the second Thursday.

Shell-covered reptiles are primarily aquatic and live in rivers, creeks, ponds, bogs and other wetlands. They all must leave their watery homes to dig holes and lay their eggs. Typically, that happens May through July when the warm ground can incubate the nursery.

The class is free. Receive your Zoom link at utarboretumsociety.org under Programs. Questions or issues: mcampani@utk.edu .

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: It's turtle time in Tennessee! Virtual program is May 9 for UT Arboretum's nature club