Day 239: I don't often get to explore Washington's dry-side ecology, so on the way home from manning the Park's booth at Treaty Day in Yakima, I requested a "botany break" at the next occurrence of yellow "daisies." A few minutes later, Maureen pulled over next to a mailbox and I started to scramble up a little rise to get a photo, but Kosette cut me short. "Stop! Look over here!" My first thought was that she'd spotted a rattlesnake. My eyes scanned the ground and passed over this fellow at least once before perceiving him against the rocky soil. He wasn't particularly disturbed by our presence and posed nicely for his "field-guide" portrait.
I make no claims to being a herpetologist, and misidentified the little feller. I am grateful to the Park colleague who corrected me (as I always say, "better to be embarrassed than to continue on in error"). This is a Pygmy Short-Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii), often referred to by locals as a "horny toad" or "horned toad."
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