iN PHOTOS: Western painted turtles popping up in ponds around Okanagan, Kamloops

It’s mating season for western painted turtles. They’re appearing in ponds and lakes in Kamloops and the Okanagan.

With their brightly striped cheeks and orange mosaic designs on the undersides of their shells, the turtles are a beloved reptile for nature lovers and photographers.

They are also an important part of wetland ecosystems, the only native turtle in the province blue listed, meaning they’re vulnerable to declining populations.

This turtle was spotted in a pond in the Okanagan in April. iNFOnews.ca/ Stew Turcotte

Western painted turtles are at risk of getting squished by traffic as they make migratory journeys across roads to find mates and nesting sites.

Studies have shown that a mere five per cent increase in annual mortality is enough to cause an entire turtle population to decline.

Western painted turtles sunbathe on rocks in Kamloops. iNFOnews.ca/ Lyn MacDonald

The conservancy agency encourages motorists to slow down when they see a turtle on the road and make sure to safely steer around it. When helping a turtle cross the road move it in the direction it was going in and once you are done moving it, leave it be to avoid causing it stress.

If you have photographs of pond life in your neck of the woods, send them to news@infonews.ca.

More than 30 western painted turtles sit on a log at Kitley Lake in the South Okanagan in April. iNFOnews.ca/ Lilian Blashko

A western painted turtle basks in a pond on Shuswap Lake Road near Kamloops in May. iNFOnews.ca/ Valerie Walsh

A mallard duck shared a grassy spot with a western painted turtle in the Penticton Channel. iNFOnews.ca/ Jodi Forster