Carissa - "Danny, Kyla, and I continued to survey sites in western Texas this past week. I found a Many-Lined Skink and two adult male Ornate Box Turtles in Bailey County. Both turtles exhibited striking red eyes and bright orange scales on their front legs, earning them a new spot among my favorite Great Plains reptiles! In Yoakum County I spotted Lesser Earless Lizards and a Six-Lined Racerunner flitting below thick scrub oak. I also encountered a group of inquisitive Mule Deer that posed elegantly for a few photos. We then returned to Randall County after severe thunderstorms steered us away from our survey sites in the eastern part of the Texas Panhandle."

Beth - "Lesser Earless Lizards were braving the cooler temperatures this week. There were only a few days of decent weather to survey and in that time we spotted about half a dozen bright little Lesser Earless Lizards still roaming the grasslands. A juvenile Bullsnake stopped us on the road and gave us its rattlesnake impression, but one of the best finds for me was on the last and coldest day. In a light rain, Celina and I surveyed a plot dappled with hills that I had been to before. I didn't expect to find anything until I stumbled over a freshly shed snake skin! This large shed was so well preserved that it looked like the ghost of a snake on the ground. I took a few moments to try and identify its previous owner by noting the unkeeled, smooth scales, the length of the tail, and the lack of a distinct pattern that can sometimes be seen on the dorsum of a shed. I flipped the fully intact face right side out to find a distinct scale above the eye, looking like an angry brow, that I use to identify Racers. A divided anal plate furthered my suspicions that this was from a large adult North American Racer. This is exactly the species I had found in person the last time I was on that plot and it made me wonder if it was from the same individual! "

Celina - "​​I wasn't sure what to expect this week, considering how late in the season it is. It's also been my last week on the project, so I was hoping for something cool to happen. We came across a juvenile Bullsnake basking on the road during the warmer part of the day. The little guy/gal shook their tail and tried so hard to be intimidating. And then tried to hide under my boot!

    Looking back on the summer it's astounding how many new species I've run across for myself, and the project. I got to survey familiar areas in Texas (ah the old stomping grounds!), and new areas in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. I had never done official work in any state other than Texas (and my only other volunteer work outside of Texas was in Arizona) prior to this season so it feels pretty good to have field experience in 4 more states under my belt now. I've witnessed a lot of cool things in the past 6 months and the time has really flown by. I think my hands-down favorite encounter has got to be the two Prairie Rattlesnakes I found together last week, I never expected to witness such behavior while in the field!"

Beth - "This was a great week for seeing Sceloporus tristichus. Celina and I surveyed a rocky canyon for a day where we must have seen 20 individuals between us. Plateau Lizards are usually quite skittish but the specimens I saw seemed just as curious about me as I was about them. Some were missing or re-growing tails, and some had typical bright orange lips. I was able to take great photos of them all because they were willing to stick around long enough (and come out from their hiding spots) so that I could adjust camera settings for better voucher photos. Maybe the quickest photos snapped this week were for a species I had not recorded yet this summer - the Western Terrestrial Garter Snake. Because it was a dead on a busier road, I only had time enough to snap two photos as vouchers, but it was worth pulling the car over for."

Celina - "When you're looking at a rattlesnake that is aware of you and rattling, you're probably not going to be focused on the grass behind it. As I picked my camera up to take a photo, I initially missed seeing a second prairie rattlesnake slithering out of the grass! When this second individual joined in the rattling and wrapped up with the first, I was shocked! The two turned into a single coil and the second had nosed over the first before returning its glare to me. The first never took its eyes off of me. This was something I wasn't expecting, so I was very surprised - and I'm glad I was able to get photos of the two together (see photos above)."

Celina - "A very common species that I particularly enjoy is the Six-Lined Racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus), due to the bright coloration they can get here in the plains. The juveniles are no exception, with their cobalt blue tails. They can be tricky to spot for more than a moment because they are quick and flighty, but if you're patient and careful you can usually snap a voucher photo before they decide they've had enough of your presence."

Devin - "This week was characterized by a front of cool weather spreading across the eastern plains of Colorado. Many species decided to seek shelter under ground, but I did happen upon a Prairie Rattlesnake towards the middle of the day when the temperature had reached it's peak. Ornate Box Turtles are a species that tends to be active in cooler temperatures than many other reptiles, and we did end up seeing a few of them as well."

Celina - "Checkered Whiptails can be something of a frustration to me at times. Two incredibly similar looking species, both (almost) entirely female, thankfully they only have a small range overlap. Somehow I still have trouble keeping Colorado versus Common Checkered Whiptails straight. We found ourselves in Colorado Checkered Whiptail habitat this week, though we knew the adults would surely start slowing down and heading into hibernation soon as they prefer it hot, hot, hot. Despite that, we still saw a few, a large percentage of which were juveniles. The weather seems to be getting less consistent now, so this may have been one of our last chances to find this species for the season."

Beth - "We were afforded some days just hot enough to see a few Prairie Lizards, Colorado Checkered Whiptails, and a few more common snake species in the field this week. Often, when I'm surveying in southeastern Colorado and I walk into a site with junipers growing in gravelly soil I know I should be looking for Whiptails. However, when I found myself walking through a dry riverbed with Cottonwoods, I was not expecting to find a Colorado Checkered Whiptail juvenile! When I was able to snap a voucher photo and confirm that the little fleeting lizard I was looking at was actually a Whiptail, I realized I needed to expand future searches to include this habitat type. I have only seen adults of this species this summer and was happy to have the chance to see a juvenile. Even though we can feel the summer ending, it has been an unexpected joy to witness neonates and hatchlings - many look like miniatures of the adults we usually see."

Celina - "Sometimes you don't notice how many of one species you're seeing, until suddenly you're not seeing any. This week was unique in that I only saw a handful of Lesser Earless Lizards, when typically they're swarming all over the place. The first time I ever saw this species was at the beginning of the field season, so it was a lifer for me, but quickly grew to be so commonplace as to seem a fixture in surveys. We started to say, when asking each other what we saw, "oh, just Lesser Earless Lizards" - like they're no longer exciting and magical like they were at first. I suppose I stopped appreciating getting to see them- they weren't as rarely observed as most snakes or even some other lizard species. With the weather a bit chillier and rainy, there really wasn't a whole lot moving around this week, and I missed the little guys. Even when they're zooming out of view or running down the roads ahead of us (making us nervous!)."

Beth - "Despite the rainy weather there was a great turnout when Celina and I surveyed in Weld County, Colorado this week. All in one hour I ended up spotting more reptile species then I usually see in a week in that area! A Plains Hog-nosed Snake was basking in the sun to greet me at the survey site and later I found a juvenile Many-lined Skink sporting a bright blue tail, hiding under a sheet of metal. Two Short Horned Lizards saw me out, one being a neonate the size of a nickel. Seeing these tiny horned lizards that are smaller than some crickets makes me realize how much better I've become at spotting the cryptic species since the beginning of the summer when I was struggling to spot the full-sized adults in gravel, however, I'm sure there are still times that their camouflage gets the better of me."

Celina - "There's something about Eastern Collared Lizards that just enchants me. We got to see several this week of varying ages, from adults to a juvenile (likely from an earlier clutch this summer) to a recent hatchling! It's amazing when you get to see the difference in size and coloration/patterning of the different ages and sexes. Since we travel a lot we also get to see geographic differences in coloration of adults, so that's always really fascinating."

Beth - "The sheen of snake scales caught my eye at the bottom of a chest-high empty trough at a fish hatchery this week. Inside the empty raceway I found a shriveled up garter snake. As I turned around to hoist myself out, I could hear the splash of little feet belonging to Plains Leopard Frogs and Woodhouse's Toads jumping around in some residual water in the raceway. I was snapping a few photos of the frogs when I saw a black and yellow lump in the corner; an Ornate Box Turtle. The raceway was like a small ecosystem in itself!  I finally turned to hoist myself out again and was eye to eye with a Coachwhip who had been watching me the whole time, possibly looking for a quick meal from one of the numerous frogs. But as soon as it had been discovered, the Coachwhip wasted no time sticking around."

Jake - "As the fall semester starts up again at CSU next week, this was my last full week of field work for the summer. I spent it in southeastern Colorado in pursuit of Round-tailed Horned Lizards and Checkered Whiptails, and the days offered me plenty of challenges and accomplishments. Unfortunately, I wasn't present when the one and only Round-tailed Horned Lizard of the week was found, but I still managed to garner some satisfaction from seeing several Common Checkered Whiptails. While I will continue to help out with the project over the coming weeks from the office, I will definitely miss the amazing time I got to spend in the field and the great people I got to spend it with! This job has offered me an amazing amount experience, and I feel truly lucky to be a part of one of the largest reptile conservation movements in this part of the U.S."

Devin - "This week we switched up crews and checked out some habitat near the Kansas border of east-central Colorado. I was excited to check out this area since it was new to me. The first morning surveying was fairly cool, and the presence of deciduous trees for shade and nice sandy soils made for a great opportunity to find Ornate Box Turtles. Between the two of us, we found five box turtles before we even got to our second survey plot!"

Celina - "We had some very, very successful and full surveys this past week! I had one survey on which I actually had to use a second survey form, and filled both out, front and back! We didn't see a huge number of species (mostly Lesser Earless Lizards and some Sceloporus​) - but we did see such a huge number of lizards, especially hatchlings, that it was astonishing particularly after the slow July weeks! I even saw a neonate Prairie Rattlesnake within 5 yards of an adult. It's definitely a good time to go out and see some herps!"

Devin - "A baby boom seems to be occurring in the plains of Texas! It seems that some areas we’re finding baby reptiles every-other minute this week. We've found hatchling Texas Horned Lizards, neonate Short-horned Lizards, and hatchling Lesser Earless Lizards all no larger than your thumbnail. I also chanced upon the youngest Ornate Box Turtle I've ever seen, that couldn't have been any larger around than a dinner roll. My advice to anyone herping this week is to take it slow and be on the lookout for some tiny reptiles!"

Jake - "The past 2 weeks spent in the Southern Plains were some of the most challenging and rewarding days of my summer. On one hand, the humidity and heat of Texas and Oklahoma really took their toll on us, making some of our days surveying quite trying. On the other, the diversity and abundance of species we don’t often get to see made up for the hardships. Our first week was spent in extreme northern Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma, where we were able to observe Texas Horned Lizards, Prairie Rattlesnakes, and Coachwhips regularly. It surprised me how much life was supported in such a harsh environment. The second week divided our group, sending some back into Texas, while I ventured to the Wichita Mountains further southeast in Oklahoma. The days spent there were my favorite by far; not only was there an incredible abundance of herp species- including a massive, ~5 ft Western Diamondback Rattlesnake found in the foothills early one morning- but the landscape itself was truly something spectacular. One survey plot was located on the very top of a mountain, and although the climb was difficult, it afforded an incredible view of the whole area! Heading back west to Caprock Canyon and Palo Duro Canyon State Parks in Texas continued to give us spectacular views of the landscape and scenery the Southern Plains has to offer, and we saw new species including the Greater Earless Lizard and the Common Spotted Whiptail."

Celina - "August means clutches of babies are out and about, and it's so exciting! It confused my search image on Monday when I lifted a dry cow patty to see two black and dark blue squiggles wiggle off in opposite directions. I was stunned at first- what in the world?! - and then I realized: hatchling Many-lined Skinks! My moment of stunned confusion cost me the voucher photos I could have gotten, unfortunately, but now I'm more carefully looking for baby reptiles."

Jake - See the post for Week 17 for Jake's assessment of Weeks 16-17 spent in Oklahoma & Texas!

Devin - "The first sightings of hatchlings & neonates this season have finally occurred! We've started to see juvenile Lesser Earless Lizards no larger than a thumbnail. On one occasion this week I happened upon a juvenile Plains Garter Snake crawling through some short grass as well. I didn't realize how difficult some of these tiny reptiles were going to be to spot, and I had to walk a little more slowly so I could improve my chances of detecting them! I was also a little thrown off because some juvenile lizards don’t look the same as their adult form, such as some of the juvenile Great Plains Skinks we found this week, with their sleek black bodies fading to a bright blue tail."

Danny - "It was nice to be back in my home state for much of the week and become reacquainted with species not found further west. It was also one of the first really hot weeks this summer, and we expected to not see as many reptiles out active. Even with the heat, we were glad to find some critters out and about, mostly found in or near shade. I spotted my first two Slender Glass Lizards in many years this week - they are one of several legless lizard species found in North America (see photo above). We recorded a few other firsts for the project, including Northern Watersnake (albeit not a terrestrial 'target' species for this project), Common Gartersnakes, and a Great Plains Skink. I was also sent home with about 500 reminders that late July in the field can mean chiggers, mosquitoes, biting flies, and ticks are in full force in some areas! Volunteers in the eastern Plains should not forget their long pants and insect repellent!"

Beth - "Flipping through 'Ampibians, Reptiles, & Turtles in Kansas' I skimmed over the Slender Glass Lizard never expecting to actually see a species so strange in the wild. I was not expecting to be walking through grass taller than myself, rolling hills, or deciduous forest in Kansas either but I was. The Glass Lizard, legless and slender, looked like a snake on the road. Yet, this species is easily distinguished from snakes by the presence of an external ear opening and eyelids. When it went to move off the gravel, it wasn't nearly as fluid as a snake, more like a noodle being shocked into spurts of movement. This bizarre and striking reptile was definitely my favorite find from an awesome week in Kansas."

Devin - "This week Celina and I checked out some newly-accessed habitat in Oklahoma and southern Colorado. On one of the sites our first day of surveying there was a long stretch of river that ran through our survey plot. I decided to walk along the bank of this river with the hopes of finding a few garter snakes in my path. Although I didn't end up finding any garter snakes, I did find a ton of Plains Leopard Frogs and Bullfrogs, including some Bullfrogs that were as large as a dinner plate! There was also a beaver at the camp site that night which was a first for me!"

Celina - "A rare treat this week was a Plains Hog-nosed Snake, a species which I haven't encountered in about 3 years. Hog-nosed snakes are fossorial (live below ground surface) and tend to come out after rains, when their preferred prey item (toads) are also moving around and abundant. This individual was willing to let me take several voucher photographs before deciding he was done with my attentions, flattening out his head and neck to appear larger and intimidating but merely slowly slithering off back into the grass, giving a hiss back at me for trying to take more pictures of this display, and out of sight."

Celina - "Things picked up a little bit more this week which was very exciting for us! It's about the time of year where things are slowing down a bit but we still saw a good variety of species. Sometimes I joke that my favorite method of finding cryptic species is the "I almost stepped on it but then it moved" method because they can be tricky to see. A female Short-horned Lizard did a very good job of escaping my notice until she darted a bit further away as I was stepping quite close to her. Live birth is considered by many to be a "mammal trait" but it's just not true. Short-horned Lizards (and many other cold-adapted species of reptiles such as Prairie Rattlesnakes) give live birth so they can better regulate the temperature of their young as they develop."

Beth - "I had not seen a single reptile under a cow patty all summer. Still, I have been lifting them regularly, my hopes kept alive by stories of skinks and small snakes found squirming underneath them. Torrential rains had left the plains of Comanche National Grassland still soaked in some areas and I was walking through one with a few cow patties in it. I stared down a patty and thought, “this patty will have a snake under it.” I flipped it with my boot and there lay a cream colored Western Ground Snake with a jet-black head on the moist ground! I was shocked that in fact there was actually a snake under this one patty out of at least 40 I had flipped that day alone. It was a species I have never seen before and it showed me its bright pink belly as it twisted into a knot in the grass. As it eventually slinked away, I vowed to flip more cow patties and to be similarly careful about what I wished for."