Pat has sharp eyes, sharper than mine. She was the reason we saw most of the following things during the walk.
"Doesn't that Trillium have four petals?" she asked. It did. It had curiously different arrangement of sepals and leaves, also.
We walked on.
She found several small Crayfish Chimneys. These chimneys are much daintier than the ones we find in the swamp at Brukner Nature Center.
She likes bright-colored fungi. You will have to click on the photo and enlarge it to see the fungi she spotted.
Two more Fungi, a little easier to see. They were beside the boardwalk.
A pollinator, a tiny Ladybug. Below is a cropped photo.
Ta Da....
This is what Pat found that excited me the most. As we walked, I told Pat about the few times Tom and I have seen adult male Five-lined skinks displaying their red throat patches for females on the boardwalk. No, she didn't find a displaying adult. Even I would have noticed him. But she found something neither Tom or I had ever seen....
This little fellow was about the size of a Red-backed Salamander which are common at Brukner.
He moved really fast. This was the most in focus photo I got as he scurried off to find cover elsewhere.
When I got home, I searched on the Internet for Five-lined Skinks, wondering if this was a young one. I knew as the adult males had red on their heads and this little fellow had a tinge of red around his face. On the Internet I learned that Five-lined Skinks live from two to six years so an immature might be the size of a Red-backed Salamander.
I also learned that one way that Skinks vary from salamanders is that they have claws. And because the critter was so slow and wary of leaving the crack in the log, the hind foot on it was in focus.
Looks to me like he has claws. I'm going to say he is an immature Five-lined Skink. So, so pleased with myself. Hope no one pops my balloon!
We walked on.
Ta Da....
This is what Pat found that excited me the most. As we walked, I told Pat about the few times Tom and I have seen adult male Five-lined skinks displaying their red throat patches for females on the boardwalk. No, she didn't find a displaying adult. Even I would have noticed him. But she found something neither Tom or I had ever seen....
When I got home, I searched on the Internet for Five-lined Skinks, wondering if this was a young one. I knew as the adult males had red on their heads and this little fellow had a tinge of red around his face. On the Internet I learned that Five-lined Skinks live from two to six years so an immature might be the size of a Red-backed Salamander.
I also learned that one way that Skinks vary from salamanders is that they have claws. And because the critter was so slow and wary of leaving the crack in the log, the hind foot on it was in focus.
The Trilliums are beautiful! I no nothing of Skinks...I am not sure we have them here. We have Salamanders but we rarely see them:) Happy Mother's Day!
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