Whipple Dam: Skink on the 4th of July

It was to be a nice summer day, just like they used to be: a sunny day with low humidity and a high temperature around 82 degrees, just a bit too hot in the direct sun, but comfy in the shade. We thought it might be more crowded there than we'd like due to the holiday, but it was to be the nicest day for a while, so we decided to go for an early swim at Whipple Dam.

We parked the car part-way in and grabbed our chairs and daysacks and walked the rest. Upon arriving at the swim area, we could hear the sounds of children. Shaver's Creek has been running summer day camps, and the final day, Friday, features a bus trip to the beach at Whipple. There was a young group in the morning, an older group in the afternoon. The stone wall was lined with towels and beach gear.

We set our chairs up in the shade of an old building, and of course, immediately, I went skink hunting. They seem to like Whipple Dam, and the old stones and old wood. The last time we were there, I saw one but was not fast enough to capture any decent photos. But this time, I walked over to a wooden railing, looked down, and there was this gorgeous five-lined skink, just sitting there, posing for my photos.

Now, according to what I have read, only the juveniles have the blue tails. This tail is not awfully bright blue, and the size of the skink was pretty decent, so I think we are looking at a youngster approaching adulthood. I looked it up and there is a particular function for the blue tail. I'll share the link to where I found this info so skink enthusiasts can read more if they wish.

"The blue tail of juveniles is an antipredator adaptation that serves to attract the predator away from the vulnerable part of the lizard, its body. Juveniles escape potential predators by disappearing into the leaf litter, lashing their tails back and forth above the leaves. The blue tail, contrasting with the brown background, attracts predators (birds and small, lizard-eating snakes) to the less vulnerable appendage. Once broken off, the tail twitches for a period of time, distracting the potential predator further. This increases the probability that a juvenile will survive to maturity. At onset of sexual maturity the tail color changes from blue to a cryptic gray-brown."

So there you have it. I hope you enjoy the skink! Oh, and as far as whether it is male or female, I understand that the head of the male turns sort of orange when it approaches sexual maturity. I don't know if this one is old enough to demonstrate that. If not, my guess is this one's a female.

In other news, it is the Independence Day holiday in the U.S., and lots of people are doing fireworks. I know it's bad for the wildlife and for dogs and for veterans with PTSD. But I have to admit that it was pretty neat to walk to the edge of our driveway and see and hear fireworks in every direction. Some pretty DECENT fireworks, without having to drive anywhere.

My husband dragged one of our lawn chairs down by the road so he could sit in it and watch the fireworks. One of our yard rabbits was nearby, just chowing down on the grass, and the lightning bugs were lighting up the whole place (maybe in competition with the fireworks), and our bat was overhead, wheeling around, eating bugs. 

At a certain point, I was sitting on my husband's lap, and he was holding onto me like we were teenagers, and it was pleasant out, and the fireworks show was pretty grand, and we were laughing together. It was a happy moment, and I'll try to hold that in my heart.

Happy 4th of July!

I'll let our soundtrack tune be a good one from the Boss, and of course it applies to this skink too! Here's Bruce Springsteen, with Born in the U.S.A.