A Bit of Arkansas Wildlife

My travels often take me out beyond the scope of Northwest Wildlife but my camera is always ready. Here’s a few shots I managed on a fairly cold day in Arkansas. I had  to turn over a lot of logs and rocks but the effort was worthwhile. Especially gratifying was the little five lined skink – an unexpected and beautiful surprise as these are sun loving lizards, active and energetic in warm weather. I had to take the little guy back to my hotel room in order to get some decent pics. He has an ample supply of worms and bugs, and on the net warm day he’ll be set free.

Cardinals are not a species we see in the Northwest. This chubby little fellow was part of a small flock feeding on worms and other things as the sun warmed the grassy field. I can’t help but love millipedes so my macro lens always zeroes in on them. The big ferocious looking beetle is an insect found just about everywhere and goes by the very original name of common black beetle.