I don't know exactly what can be found in or near Reno, but

if you drive 30 or 60 minutes north to the Pyramid lake area and the Black Rock Desert you will find a fun place to see a lot of desert herps, either driving or walking during the day, or driving the roads at night. The summer and early fall is a great time, since the desert there is high and doesn't get too hot in the summer. Avoid the week before and after Labor day because of the Burning Man festival crowds and traffic.



Leopard lizards, zebratails, whiptails, collared lizards, and desert spiny lizards are abundant. Sideblotched, fence, sagebrush, and desert horned lizards are also pretty common. I have also seen coachwhips, kingsnakes, gopher snakes, great basin rattlesnakes, patchnosed snakes, striped whipsnakes, longnose, and night snakes in the area, and I've been told there are also racers, wandering gartersnakes and ground snakes there. Bullfrogs and treefrogs can be found in riparian areas, and I suspect that

There are also western pond turtles, Sierra gartersnakes, and northern leopard frogs in waters around Reno.

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