Herping Arizona

The Mountains of Southern Arizona 2021

It was time for another Rob Stone herp trip, this time with Owen McIntyre, Keith McPeek, and Tom Weaver. We started out in the area around Portal, AZ and Rodeo, NM and then headed west to the Huachuca mountains for the second half of the week. We found some amazing species, despite a bit of a cold front that moved in during the week.
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Click on the images for a larger version. All photos Copyright Australian Addiction Reptiles.

The mountain ranges of southern Arizona, October 2021

The first herp of the trip was this red-spotted toad (Anaxyrus punctatus).	A vermilion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus obscurus) takes a rest on the bench at Canoa Ranch where I snuck in a little feathered reptile observation	An invasive bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) in the pond at Canoa Ranch.	This Lawrence's goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei) was a rare sighting at Canoa.	The welcoming party at Cave Creek Ranch in Portal, AZ consisted of a couple striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis)

Among the many birds that visited the feeders at the lodge at Cave Creek Ranch, a favorite was the acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)	A nice little waterfall on a hike up the South Fork trail of Cave Creek.	This Yarrow's spiny lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) was very comfortable with us getting up close and personal for photos.	The photo of a male Yarrow's spiny lizard shows off the beautiful habitat he was found in at a spot called Red Rocks.	A very famous mural for herpers. This is a tile mosaic by Tell Hicks that graces the sidewalk up to Bob and Sheri Ashley's Chiricahua Desert museum.

A large mohave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) was the first live snake of the trip. He was pretty calm.	We were very excited to see this desert kingsnake (Lampropeltis splendida) and prevent him from impending doom on the freeway.	He looks like he has had a previous run-in with a vehicle or a predator in the past.	An interesting defensive posture that was adopted after the snake was sick of our photos and handling. We moved him well off the road for release.	This juvenile mojave rattler was the third snake of the night and was quite beautiful.

Such interesting colors on this juvenile western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)	The crew during the photo session with the atrox. From left to right Tom, Owen, Rob and Keith. It was a very windy night!	The tail had an interesting peachy coloration and the overall colors were fairly muted. The color and pattern combined for one of the most beautiful diamondbacks I have seen.	Some amazing art by Tell Hicks cover several walls of the Chiricahua desert museam. This wall was primary rattlesnakes, several of which we were hoping to see on the trip.	So much herp memorabilia is found at the CDM. We could have spent hours looking at all the displays. This one had several different tortoise and turtle shells.

This was not the way I wanted to see my first wild Mexican hognose snake (Heterodon kennerlyi) from just north of Rodeo, NM.	What appears to be a juvenile Clark's spiny lizard (Sceloporus clarkii) was hanging out on some bolders near granite gap.	This white-nosed coati (Nasua narica) was hanging out in a tree right next to the office of the Cave Creek Ranch office.	Another mammalian visitor to the Cave Creek Ranch right outside our room was this Javalina or Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu)	A sighting of Keith McPeek in the deserts of NM.

A wild Rob Stone overlooking the vast desert landscape of NM	This appears to be a juvenile Chihuahuan spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis) found north of Rodeo, NM.	Ornate tree lizards (Urosaurus ornatus) are a beautiful species	This eastern patch-nosed snake (Salvadora grahamiae) was found in the Huachuca mountains	Several Arizona alligator lizards (Elgaria kingii) were found in a small area

This is a larger AZ alligator lizard that had a partially regenerated tail	A nice red-spotted toad hanging out near a creek in the Huachucas	Plains lubber grasshopper (Brachystola magna) were a large species that were seen frequently	This rainbow grasshopper (Dactylotum bicolor) is one of the most colorful insects I have seen.	This was a very nice example of a greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi)

This guy was sitting right in the middle of the road, so we were very happy he hadn't been hit by a car	A live Sonoran gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer) was a welcome sight after seeing a few DORs. This was a very large specimen as well as being very nicely colored.	This beautiful banded rock rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus klauberi) was one of the target species of the trip. This one was found by the one and only Owen McIntyre.	Another larger specimen of rock rattlesnake was found a short distance from the first one.	This larger specimen allowed us to take pictures without being perturbed. We also saw this same individual the following day in the same area.

We were very happy to see this amazing rattlesnake!	A butterfly landed on Rob as he was photographing. A good sign that Rob is a true naturalist.	This darkly patterned canyon tree frog (Hyla arenicolor) is a little different than the ones I have found in the deserts of Utah.	Another one we were hoping to find was the Arizona ridgenosed rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi willardi). This one was found as it crawled along a creek bed.	The intense markings on the face make for a very attractive snake.

The crew was happy to be able to see this amazing species.	The snake curled up nicely at the base of a tree for photographs.	Such a gorgeous species of snake. We were thrilled to be able to see and photograph one in the wild.	How lucky can you get?! Another ridgenosed! Very happy to find two of these range restricted rattlesnakes.	This one was found in a different canyon of the Huachucas from the first. A fitting end to an amazing trip!