Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Went camping with a couple friends and our significant others over Memorial Day weekend. Found a new spot on a stream with a good variety of landscape and herps.

Parts were rocky

Parts were forest-y… Free car?

Pacific Chorus Tree Frog

In addition to the always-common Western Fence Lizard, we also found a bunch of these smaller lizards with orange throats. Not sure on the ID.

There were quite a few northwestern garters. We also found a couple that were actually interesting.
OR Red-Spotted (T.S. Concinnus)

Melanistic garter – I think it’s a Northwestern

A couple of large Northern Pacifics found between two pieces of sheet metal

A good looking NorPac that was sitting near a shaded stream. This one was much lighter than the other two.

Where’s Waldo?

I’m pretty sure this Alligator Lizard is a Southern as opposed to the live-bearing Northern even though we were at the very edge of the Southern’s known range.

Your orange-throated lizards are Side-blocthed Lizards (Uta stansburania). Your photography is outstanding! I dig that black garter snake.

Tim

Thanks Tim, good to know.

Very cool Melanistic Wandering! I've been looking for those guys.

Your Garter is definitely Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi, they are very similar to T.s.concinnus but have the yellow side band. Granted concinnus can have those bands to...sometimes.

Thanks, and I appreciate for the ID's. Why do you say fitchi over concinnus?

I would call it fitchi based on range and side stripe alone. All sirtalis have intergrade zones wherever they meet another subspecies but your a little outside of that.

Wow man! Great pics! Every one of them! I need to get back to Washington soon!

Did you keep the Melanistic garters? A friend of mine would kill to have them,lol.

Dan

Andy, if you get a chance can you post the melanistic garters on the garter forum, Scott has to see them.

Dan

Not a bad idea. I haven't been on the garter and ribbon forum since I got rid of my unsuccessful breeding trio of OR Red-Spotteds

On another subject. I love the great plains toads. I think it started with an illustrated field guide I got when I was like 5, ordered one online for $20 because the snakes were too expensive, and she lived in a 20gal-long for 4-5 years. Heh.

Dude that snake has blue on it's chin!

You are correct in that being a southern gator, the light colored eyes gives it away.

Andy,

Thanks for sharing! That's a nice selection of Northwestern herps. Both garters are beautiful. Quite the spot you've found!

Casey