Turtles lay their eggs in the Virginia Garden in May but predators frequently prevent successful hatching.

Testudines in the Virginia Garden vary in size from the box turtle to the swamp turtle.

The carapace is the upper shell of the turtle that the head, limbs, and tail withdraw under. The plastron is the flat or concave lower shell. The two part shell connects to the vertebrae and ribs. A turtle shell typically consists of an inner bony layer composed of individual dermal bones and an overlapping horny layer made up of purported shields. Turtles have no teeth, lack a breastbone and the heart has three chambers.

The Eastern Box Turtle, Terrapene Carolina Carolina, lives on land, hibernates in the soil and lives over 100 years.