Friend or Foe?

This morning I went out to check on the garden, as I often do, and found that I was not the only one checking things out. I was joined be this little fella...













Cute little guy, to be sure. But then I wondered, is he really here just to bask in the beauty of the garden I have planted, or is he here for something more sinister? Does he intend to help himself to my home grown ground level salad bar? I don't know. Thankfully, most of the garden is in raised beds, and I seriously doubt turtles can scale vertical walls (can they?). But the zucchini and cucumber vines have long since outgrown the garden beds and are sprawling across the yard.

I picked another zucchini to keep the turtle from eating it. But I thought I should look into the matter. Are garden turtles friends or foes? Does anybody know?