Credit: Kathleen Scavone
“As we acquire more knowledge, things do not become more comprehensible, but more mysterious.” Albert Schweitzer
Take even a short walk, and you’ll quickly find out how much there is to learn. A scientific WOW can be had at every footstep. For example, on a recent hike at Boggs Forest, there were two species of native manzanita, and one of them surprised us with vivid red, oblong growths on many leaves, which we assume were some species of gall! Jane Goodall said, “There’s so much mystery. There’s so much awe.” How true. During the summer months, previously hidden-to-us critters emerge. Take the western skink, for example!
What is a skink? In Lake County, we have a beautiful, bright blue species of western skink, or Plestiodon skiltonianus. Wikipedia explains that “The western skink is a species of small, smooth-scaled lizard with relatively small limbs.” How true! Their limbs are hard to see, and at first look you believe you are witnessing some kind of snake. Skinks spend considerable time soaking in the sun’s rays. They forage in leaf litter and sometimes in loose soil in order to dine on beetles and spiders. Skinks also consume moths, crickets, ants, centipedes, and sow bugs.
A paper published by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife states that female skinks construct nests in moist soil where they burrow under a few centimeters in depth. They take cover under, you guessed it, rock, rotting logs, and surface litter. Predators include snakes such as kingsnakes, racers, rattlesnakes, and ringneck snakes.
I was on my daily walk under the oaks and bay trees, and the sun was shining on the rock wall. A slight movement at the base of the wall caught my eye, so I froze in hopes of sneaking a peek at whatever it was. Soon a brown and beige-striped critter with a long, electric-blue tail emerged and ran across the path to hide by the house. I continued to stay still as a statue and watched as it turned tail and ran back to the hole under the rock wall. What a beauty this 7-inch creature was! I’ve been privileged to view western skinks off and on throughout the years, but not often.
Happening upon such a lovely surprise as that beautiful skink makes my day! It gives me hope, like watching stones skip across the water! Like listening to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy! Startle your imagination while you allow the wild earth to meet your mind.
