Arkansas Wildlife Redux

I spent a bit of time in Little Rock recently at the National Guard Professional Training Center (PEC) at Camp Robinson. Me being me I strolled about the camp keeping an eye out for the local wildlife. And, of course, I found some great examples of Arkansas natural history.

I am always fascinated by the variety of wildlife that exists right under under our nose. It did not take much effort to find these beautiful animals on Camp Robinson. Military posts, by the way, are great places for wildlife. The prairie lizard is a common, dull colored species but the males display a brilliant turquoise color. Box turtles are often encountered but catching a mating pair is a treat. I love millipedes and this beautiful orange and black specimen caught my eye. I believe the turtles on the muddy bank are painted turtles but they slipped into the water before I could get a precise picture. To the best of my ability to identify it the large snake is a swamp snake, relatively rare in Arkansas. Grubs are hardly everyone’s favorite animal but these big white ones are exceptional. Half the size of my index finger they are the biggest grubs I’ve ever seen. The find of the day, however, was the western worm snake! I’ve been reading about these snakes and wanting to catch one for years. They are tiny little things, normally burrowed or hiding underground so finding this guy under a log was a stroke of luck.