6-24-06
Pajarito & Huachuca Mountains, AZ
This trip was supposed to produce limitless numbers of Rock Rattlesnakes for photographing but the elusive little montane buggars manages to elude again. The trip was still fairly productive on other things seeing as it was a single overnight.
The Sonoran Desert Toad, or Colorado River Toad (Bufo alvarius) is the largest toad native to the United States. They are also perhaps most famous for thir history of being the toad to lick in order to get high. The high however is caused by the fact that they secrete a lethal but hallucinogenic toxin from the large parotid glands behind the eye so licking is really not to be recommended.
This is not the largest individual I have ever found but this photo and the next give pretty good scale.
This tree just caught my attention for the interesting pattern in the bark and the stripped area.
That is not a rock center frame in this photo
It is a Sonoran mud Turtle (Kinosternon sonoriense).
I was very proud of myself for spotting this snake from around 20 feet away.
Although upon inspection I was sad to find it was not the Rock Rattlesnake I was hoping for.
A Sonoran Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer affinis)
This photo displays the superior ability these snakes have to camouflage themselves even
in plain sight.
A friendly beetle who decided to hithchike on my shirt for a time.
Random butterfly......I am not an insect identification afficionado.
This Sonoran Gophersnake is well over 5 feet long and was not all that well camouflaged
in his "middle of the trail" hiding location.
Yours truly with slightly grumpy Gophersnake
No idea what it is past being an insect but its pretty.
Mountain Spiny lizard (Sceloperus jarrovii)
On a random side note I was visiting Mikki in Globe, AZ later on this evening and found this
slightly disturbing memorial.
Thank goodness for Orderly Vigilante Lynchings.
