Five lined skink

[rmb...@istar.ca]

Now there's a critter I haven't seen in a while. Since it is cooler
today I got ambitious for a little trek in the woods to explore what
is normally a swampy area. It turned out be an exercise in
frustration. I took the canoe over to a swampy bay but couldn't get
through there because the lake level is too low. Then I tried to park
the canoe and got stuck in a muddy spot and had a heck of a time
getting it shoved in far enough to get out of it. So finally I'm
trekking over the rock ridge to a place where I could down to the wet
area where in years past I had found rattlesnake plantain orchids.
Every was DRY. Nothing looked familiar. I'm thinking that the wet
area is further back in the woods. Not wanting to get turned around in
there, and by this time getting rather grumpy, I decided to just
meander in the area I had reached. There were "open" areas of
flattened down leaves, and as I stepped into one of these areas a
little blue critter started racing around my boots like greased
lightning. In the few seconds as I watched I was hoping it would dive
under some leaves or moss, but it dove for the base of a stump and
down a hole where I was unable to fish it out. Stupid me didn't think
to just drop the camera bag down on it. It would have probably sprung
out between my fingers anyway. I'm getting old and slow. But at
least I had a really good look at it.

I had been meaning to put boards out in various places this
springtime, I need to get some laid out while we still have some
summer. Try to attract some skinks and snakes and salamanders. May
and June were cold and wet and then from first week of July til now
has been miserably hot. I've been cooped up season.

At least on my way back I got a few pics of a black rat snake on the
rocks along the shore and a couple of wild turkeys winding their way
along the beach.

Next target: the boggy area behind the "frog pond". It may be dry
enough that I can poke around in there. I'm hoping Thursday will be a
good day for it.

Rose-Marie, north of Perth Road Village