Don’t be surprised to find yourself sharing the road with a turtle this summer.

Turtles during the warmer months are much more active, travelling to find places to lay their eggs.

“Through June and July, we see that turtles are moving back and forth between their nesting sites which means their leaving their wetland habitats and going to find somewhere else to lay their eggs, and this can often mean crossing the road,” explains Nature Conservancy of Canada Media Relations Manager Jensen Edwards.

Watch: What to do when you see turtles on the road

Turtles being cold blooded means they can also be found basking in the sun and absorbing heat from the road.

This can be especially dangerous because they are not moving at this time, making it difficult to determine it as a living creature.

Edwards adds it’s important to keep an eye out for turtles on the road, because of the impact losing just one has on the species.

“Because turtles can take so long before laying their eggs, a loss of one adult turtle is the loss of 20 years of development for that species. Of course, they’ll lay multiple eggs but not all those eggs will have success,” noted Edwards. “Turtles are funny, they’re like our wetland janitors. They eat dead plants, dead fish that are in the lakes and ponds, and this just helps keep water cleaner. They help keep ecosystems healthy.

Edwards stresses turtles play an important role in our environment.