Lizards around Arizona

I like to say that when it's a slow birding day in the wild, there are always butterflies to spy and photograph.   I also like to remind myself to pay attention to where my feet are when I'm engrossed in a subject far away in my camera's viewfinder.  First of all, there may be holes and rocks - or worse cliffs! - just an easy step and fall away.  And second, there are sometimes rattlesnakes on local trails.

But snakes aren't the only reptile you're apt to spot on Arizona's pathways.  In fact, when it comes to the reptile family you're more likely to see a lizard than their slithering cousins.  I've collected quite a few photographs during my brief but frequent encounters with this varied and interesting group of animals, and still haven't identified them all.  But so far I've had no luck shooting the allusive and only venomous lizard in the state, the Gila monster.   However, there are still plenty of opportunities to look safely along the trails and the rocks while exploring in the desert wild!

Western collared lizard near Perkinsville.  If all lizards were this colorful lizarding would be more popular than birding in Arizona!

Western collared lizard near Perkinsville.

Type of lizard with blue spots, in Phoenix.

Same type of lizard as previous one, but near Black Canyon City.

Chuckwalla  close-up on South Mountain in Phoenix.

Full body shot of chuckwalla on Camelback Mountain in Phoenix. At over a foot in length, it's the largest lizard I've seen in Arizona. It's also in the same family as iguanas. 

Most likely an ornate tree lizard and also a male because of color, in Page Springs.

A type of horned lizard on Spruce Mountain, near Prescott.

A type of horned lizard in the desert in north Scottsdale.

A type of horned lizard on Mount Union, near Prescott.

A type of lizard at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

Lizard at Estrella Mountain Park near Good Year.

Lizard at Estrella Mountain Park near Good Year.

Desert spiny lizard at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

Desert spiny lizard at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.  The bright coloration should indicate it's a male.

Pair of desert spiny lizards at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.  The one with the blue patch on its throat should be a male.

Almost full shot of a desert spiny lizard at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

Desert spiny lizard at Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior.

Desert spiny lizard at Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior.  This should be a female.

Male desert spiny lizard at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix.

Very long lizard in Spur Cross Ranch near Cave Creek.

Lizard on a cut tree stump near Prescott.

Lizard in the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve.

Desert tortoise at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  A completely different reptile to seek out in the desert wild!