CURWOOD: With me now is author Sy Montgomery. Waddya have for us to help us celebrate Earthday?

MONTGOMERY: I've got turtles! [LAUGH] I just I love the symbol of our Earth Day. I love that photo of the blue marble taken from space by the crew of Apollo 17 on their way to the moon. But I also love an image of our earth that's much older than that. It's known in many cultures as the world turtle. In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, a tortoise called Akupara carries the world on his back, upholding the earth and the sea. In North America Haudenosaunee, Lenape, and Abenaki creation stories.

The Great Spirit creates the homeland by placing Earth on the back of a huge turtle. Many still refer to North America as Turtle Island. And indeed, ours is the continent boasting the most turtle species in the world. It's no wonder that turtles, creatures who arose with and outlasted the dinosaurs, are honored by so many cultures, from Alaska's Admiralty Island to Polynesia. Native peoples say the world turtle laid the eggs that hatched into the first humans. Who wouldn't be proud to claim such a storied ancestor? Almost everyone loves turtles, for their beauty, for their remarkable longevity, and for their patience. A balm to soothe the hurry of the human world. Everyone knows turtles. Yet turtles also surprise us. They're more exciting than most of us realize.

Many are vocal, some bark, some whistle. Some begin talking with their siblings and mother even while they're still unhatched babies still in the egg. Turtles may seem slow, but they're smart. Some species outperform rats in mazes. Though they're slower movers, they're faster learners. They have no ears, yet they can hear a human whisper. They help others in distress. Sometimes several will work together to flip a turtle who's upside down. In China, the world turtle is named Ao. The Creator goddess uses his legs to prop up the heavens. Without the turtle, we're told, the very sky would fall and it's true. Turtles are the foundation for many ecosystems. The Hawksbill Sea Turtle protects coral reefs from correlating sponges, gopher tortoises burrows shelter a dozen other species, many of which couldn't live without them. But these creatures who survived the asteroid strike may not survive us.

CURWOOD: Thanks, Sy. Sy Montgomery is the author of The Book of Turtles with art by Matt Patterson, published May 2nd 2023 by Harper Collins.