Blue-tailed Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus)
Cathy and I went to Great Falls today. It was nice out but quite hot. Being a week day, there were quite a few less people than we often see there. I didn’t take a lot of pictures and we didn’t see many birds at all, except for the occasional black or turkey vulture soaring far overhead. As we walked back from the Olmsted Island overlook we saw this blue-tailed skink (Plestiodon fasciatus), also known as the common five-lined skink, although I prefer the more colorful name (if you’ll pardon the pun). They are quite pretty and while common, they are also quite skittish, so it’s not always easy to get a photo.