Anticipation

Most anticipated are Speckled Rattlesnakes, Crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus, in red white and blue, all in situ. As you read this Jake and I are hopefully either on our way back to the Sonoran Desert or already there. We’re traveling westward with a list of “hope to sees” almost as long as the wheelbase of the car. These “wannasees” run the gamut from cacti and other succulents to rattlesnakes, racers, and a few birds and mammals. About the only thing we don’t list are the invertebrates, and by this omission we probably miss seeing some of the most interesting of the desert fauna. The good part about a list this long is that you’re bound to see at least a few of the species; the bad part is you never see all. But that’s OK because we use our failures to start another list. It’s never ending. Primary on our list this time are several rattlesnake species. But equally important are most of the little burrowing forms that seem to be increasingly hard to find. These vary from shovel-noses to sand and leaf-nosed snakes. I’ll let you know how we do in a July blog, but wish us luck. Most assuredly we’ll need it. See ya/Dick & Jake