Even though this was one of my target species for the Mojave, I literally stepped over this snake while it was basking on the trail. It rattled a few times then hid under some nearby brush.
Thank you to @robberfly for alerting me to this beetle's existence. He and @danielled83 also spotted them. I believe she spotted the second beetle pictured here. They are absolute speed demons so I got lucky with a few OK shots.
So cool to have seen them!
UPDATE 1/18/24 - I removed the second photo from this observation and made a separate observation for it: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/197039554
Kinda " find-of-the-day" This Endangered beetle ( a.k.a. Delta Green Ground Beetle )lives only in the small area of the preserve. Thank you @tiwane & @danielled83 my shots are craptastic cuz the tiny creature sped about...
My oldest nemesis. Been stung soooo many times going to the beaches of the east shore. Still, what a cool animal.
Photo by @danielled83.
My oldest nemesis. Been stung soooo many times going to the beaches of the east shore. Still, what a cool animal.
Photo by @danielled83.
Thank you, @danielled83 for finding this frog for me! Been wanting to see one ever since I was a kid.