"Those rocks aren't THAT big..." Visiting the Ozarks, Part 4 (Finale!)

Ozarks Spring 2017 Series

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

This is Part 4

At this point, people might be tiring of the Ozarks, and I was starting to as well.  That's why I've saved one of the best finds for last, and also because I don't want to reveal its location.  This is an Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris), and it is one of the more odd residents of the place where I found it.  Most Collared Lizards live in the southern Great Plains and the deserts of the West.  However, Missouri has microclimates in the Ozarks that resemble its habitats out west. so it lives here.  I'm just going to say that this lizard was found in an unexpected location.

Now, you might think that I'm being overly cautious in not saying where this was.  However, the Eastern Collared-Lizard is a state-listed (protected) species in Missouri, because people regularly capture these attractive lizards for the pet trade.  This has led them to vanish from much of their habitat.  I don't want to contribute to that, so I'm not going to say where I found it.

I flipped over a rock in the same place and found a Prairie Racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus viridis) hiding underneath.  It took off a second later., and as I've mentioned before, they earn the name racerunner!  They do a slithering series of dashes that's quite fun to watch.

If they were easier to catch, I'd be worried about the Prairie Racerunners being caught for captivity in a similar fashion.  It's my opinion that they are the most attractive lizard in the eastern United States.

 Now, to return to our regularly scheduled nonsense, we stopped at Elephant Rocks State Park on the way to home.  The first rocks we saw weren't that large, hence the title of this post.  In front of the bathrooms Nathan found this moth, a Polyphemus Moth (Antheraea polyphemus).  This impressive moth was the last of the many stunning moths we saw on this trip.

I did see several Great Crested Flycatchers (Myiarchus crinitus) here, which I found exciting.  I don't see these much where I live.  Yet we have plenty of flies... we could certainly use them!

Several Prairie Racerunners  may or may not have been seen there, to the point where they may or may not have been one of the most numerous animals in the spot where they may or may not have been found.  I may or may not be concerned about people trying to catch these where they may...

Ok, I give up, this is getting exhausting to write.  Herpers aren't supposed to disclose the locations of reptiles, I've found out.  Also, a herper is somebody who likes reptiles/amphibians (herptiles).  However, I hope it's vague enough if I say these lizards were EVERYWHERE!

Pencil Flower (Stylosanthes biflora) , a new plant for me, bloomed along one of the many side-trails people have made here.  There were dozens of these, all well-worn with use.  We used some of them. because the main path was literally designed so that a visually-impaired person would be able to use it. As a result, it went around the interesting rock formations we wanted to see, not up close to them.  We didn't blaze any new trails, however, and stuck only to areas where people had walked before us.

The rocks slowly got larger, with little bonsai-like oak trees growing in the cracks and dirt patches.

Fence/Prairie Lizards (Sceloporus consobrinus) like this unusually reddish one vied with Prairie Racerunners as the most common lizards.  Either way, there were more lizards here than in the average Floridan garden, and that's saying something, because Florida gardens have lots of lizards!

A few Lichen Grasshoppers (Trimerotropis saxatilis) hid in the lichens here, but there were far fewer fruticose lichens, so their ability to hide was compromised.

Massive pink granite boulders, with fifteen-foot-deep, three-foot-wide cracks between them, became the norm upon the hilltop.  We could also look out and see the Ozark hills in the distance.

Here's Tayo trying to climb up this rock.  It defeated his attempts to go on top, but I use him here for a sense of scale.  These were large, oddly-balanced rocks!

Here you can see the unusual wetlands in small sinkholes atop the rocks. Frogs had laid their eggs here some time back, and dozens of tadpoles lived on the algae in a few of the rocky pools.

The rocks do bear the vaguest resemblance to a pachyderm, and I do mean the vaguest.  Also, a pachyderm is an elephant, rhino, or hippo- some large thick-skinned mammal, of the sort that would be found in the average nature documentary.

We sat under some boulders, where a triangular window let in the sun.

On the other side, the ground sloped down. Two precariously-balanced boulders on the edge threatened to imitate Raiders of the Lost Ark as we ran downslope ahead of them.  However, the analogy to that Indiana Jones escapade was inexact- the boulders remain, as far as I know, fixed in the same position, balanced on the edge of the slope, still threatening to fall down.

On the edge of the woods, we encountered a toad.  I have been told that this is a Dwarf American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus charlesmithii), which would be a new type of toad for me.

A large quarry pond reminded us of Elephant Rocks's history. Before being a state park, Elephant Rocks was a pink granite quarry. In general, the quarry added little to the beauty of the rocks, but this pond is an exception.

I did mention there were lizards here, right?  While photographing this lizard, I spotted a red shape with an unusually light, thin bill fly away- Summer Tanager!  I then heard some odd birdcalls coming from the nearby bushes, so I crept forward, towards the calls.  I'd wait, then I'd hear another one, and I 'd creep closer to my target.  I raised my camera- Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater).  Boo.  This is one of the most common birds at Elephant Rocks, so I was annoyed.

Jokes about "regular hiking time, and birdwatcher's hiking time" began about this point, and proved popular.  However, this was merely some good-natured ribbing.  I was trying to see it all, and I missed much, including a snake species I'd always wanted to see, that someone else in our group saw.

Now, I could have done without seening this.  I'd seen few invasives prior to this, but this was an unwelcomingly healthy population of Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) (a vine, unlike the bush, Amur/Asian Bush Honeysuckle, that is usually called Japanese Honeysuckle). The sickly-sweet scent reminded us why this plant grows here now- it was brought over for gardens.  Even today, some people still grow it in their gardens.  However, Japanese Honeysuckle takes over and then demolishes native landscapes, its heavy vines blocking out anything else growing in its path.

An equally unwelcome native also grew on the side of the trail- Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), shown here in flower.  I'd never seen it's flowers, though it has white berries in fall that I have seen.

An incredibly colorful bug landed on Professor Croteau's back as we ate snacks nearby.  This proved to be the last major sighting of anything until we got back to Illinois.  As we unloaded our van in the LLCC parking lot, a Common Nighthawk called and promptly flew overhead, a great Fifth Orchid for a truly amazing trip. It's taken me four blogposts, and I'm sure I haven't written half of it!  However, all good things must come to an end, and for the sake of privacy, time, and lack of further photos, I must bring this series to a close.  I can't wait until my next visit here!

Ebird Checklist:

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37026176