American Tortoise Rescue presents why animals make healthy gardens - presented to the Westlake California Garden Club on October 3, 2017.

1. *

2. Welcome to our sanctuary!

3. *Scientists who have closely examined the digestive-tract
contents of eastern box turtles claim they come about as
close as it gets to the classic definition of an omnivore —
they'll eat just about anything that crosses their path.
Gardeners take note — they love insects and snails and
slugs.

4. *Eastern box turtles are also important agents of seed
distribution. What's more, studies have demonstrated that
passage through a box turtle's gut increases germination
rates for some seeds, including jack-in-the-pulpit, black
huckleberry, elderberry, mulberries, blackberries and
American persimmon.

5. *Like other wild animals, box turtles increasingly find
themselves marooned in a sea of suburbs. Populations in
fragmented habitats may be composed mostly of seniors
or non-reproducing adults on a long, slow slide toward
extinction. Box turtles are often stolen from the wild for
sale in the pet trade. They are not native to California,
but most rescues look for homes for the ones that are
here.

6. *We never use herbicides and insecticides in our
outdoor turtle garden. Organic gardening
practices lead to healthy turtles, and, in turn,
they’ll help keep the insects and weeds under
control.

7. *Water and pond turtles are a gift from nature. If you have
a pond, even with Koi, we are desperately in need of
ponds for the over abundance of red eared sliders that
come in from the pet trade and live food markets. You’ll
enjoy watching these interesting animals go about their
daily life as you help an animal that is in need of a proper
home, not a tank.

16. One of the most commonly kept tortoises who end up living in the
garden are desert tortoises which is California’s only native tortoise.

17. Russian tortoises that are commonly found at pet stores.

18. and Red Footed tortoises.

19. Becoming more popular and a nuisance to many is the African
tortoise called the sulcata tortoise.

20. Tortoises are excellent garden companions for this climate. There is
little that can equal seeing prehistoric shelled creature lumbering
about your landscape eating weeds and going about their life as if
nothing really mattered but taking it easy. They can truly be a
calming influence in your garden experience. All they need is sun,
heat and the right diet. The best diet for these tortoises is
thankfully weeds, especially dandelions. A favorite food is the
prickly pear even with the sharp prickles. The paddles from native
cactus are also a wonderful food, and they also love pomegranates.

22. American Tortoise Rescue’s sanctuary is full of bees, butterflies,
hummingbirds, snakes and lizards, including this beautiful native.

26. Questions?