Herping the beauty of the Sonoran Desert

At the dead end of a dirt road, a road that can be little more than a trail in some spots, a road across which all manner of desert creatures from gilas to javelinas and cougars cross, there is a desert spring.

If you stand on the nearest shore (the south) of this wonderful landmark, Quitobaquito Spring by name, and toss a rock back over your shoulder, it will land in Mexico.

Around the shores of the spring are venerable desert willows and an assortment of rushes and other emergents that provide cover for one of the nation's most beautiful fishes, the tiny Quitobaquito pupfish.

You'll also see the ]very ordinary appearing, but subspecifically different, kinosternid turtle, Kinosternon sonoriensis longifemorale, the Sonoyta mud turtle.

Changing times, and for various reasons the road to Quitobaquito is now closed to casual vehicular traffic. It is my understanding that Organ Pipe now offers occasional guided tours to the spring. For details check with OP headquarters, and consider a tour along this roadway where you can still enjoy the incredible beauty of the Sonoran Desert.

Another photo under the jump...

Collared peccaries often snooze beneath roadside vegetation:

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.