This little Ground Skink skittered across the dirt road we were walking on the other day. One thing I like about Georgia is herps and other "cold-blooded" critters being active this late in the year (well, not the ticks and chiggers and fire ants). Other finds along this walk are pictured below...
Another view of the skink:
A little Stinkpot, spotted by our dog:
A faded Buckeye perched on some gone-to seed member of the Asteraceae in a meadow that was teeming (by my standards) with butterflies:
I think that Kermit the frog was actually based on a Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis). Jim Henson grew up in Mississippi, so he certainly had the opportunity to observe these winsome and entertaining insectivores. They're still active and I have seen quite a few this weekend, incuding a tiny hatchling. They are found in the wild throughout the Southeast, as well as in pet shops elsewhere. These animals remain relatively common due to their tolerance for human-caused disturbance (up to a point). There is some evidence that the introduced Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei) may negatively impact their populations. They are a common species that I would like to see stay common.
This image of Morpho polyphemus is popular on my Flickr site. People seem to like how he (or she--I can't tell) appears to be looking at the camera, though that makes me think of the Far Side cartoon of the last thing a fly ever sees (one of Gary Larsen's trademark overweight women wearing cat-eye glasses and weilding a fly swatter, repeated as innumerable octagon-shaped tiles) only the view is me and my Pentax.
I think that this particular individual has somewhat crumpled wings, like it didn't emerge quite right. In the butterfly house there aren't any predators, so the butterfly's lifespan is probably unaffected.
Another photo from the butterfly house at Callaway Gardens. I believe the species is Caligo memnon. Insect eyes are so inscrutable. What do they see?
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