It's National Reptile Awareness Day!

🐢 Meet Georgia's official state reptile: the Gopher Tortoise. Listen to that crunch! 🌺 The two Gopher Tortoises who live at Chattahoochee Nature Center have a particular fondness for fallen hibiscus flowers. During the summer, our Horticulture team collects spent flowers and shares them with our Wildlife team, who offer them to the tortoises as a special treat. In the wild, Gopher Tortoises dig long, deep burrows in the sandy soils of Georgia's Coastal Plain. And they're not the only ones who benefit! Hundreds of other species use these burrows for shelter, making Gopher Tortoises a keystone species. Our two tortoises were found in metro Atlanta, far from their natural range. Due to injuries from improper care before arriving here, they're unable to dig the burrows they'd need to survive in the wild. Instead, they serve as wildlife ambassadors, helping visitors learn about their species. While their usual diet includes a variety of vegetation, including native cactus paddles, hibiscus flowers are a favorite treat! Enrichment like these hibiscus treats is just one part of the daily care our Wildlife team gives the animals who call Chattahoochee Nature Center home. Because we cannot accept payment for rehabilitation services, donor support helps make this work possible, from treating injured raptors, reptiles, and amphibians to meeting the ongoing needs of educational animals like our Gopher Tortoises. Consider making a donation today to help us continue caring for wildlife. ❤️