Rewilding My Lot

This was the first year (two years since starting a wildlife habitat garden) that I caught sight of a Common Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis) lizard. This particular one may or may not be in the subspecies of Texas Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis gularis). I have had glimpses several times this spring and summer, but these creatures move so fast that I hadn’t been able to get a photograph and proper identification until now.

Finally I spotted one that was moving more slowly and got some photos. I can’t see enough detail to determine whether male or female (the underside colors are different) — getting a photograph of any sort was challenging enough!

The tails of these lizards are long — up to three times the body length — and they are renowned for being fast moving. They live in a variety of habitats, but typically near a permanent water source.