Last Week in the Southwest Desert
A cold spell was still in force when I paid a visit to this well known spot.

The cool, rainy weather probably helped when it came to me finding one of my favorite amphibians - Red-spotted Toad.

"Spotless" Red-spotted Toad.

There didn't seem to be as many desert plants in bloom compared to recent previous years.

It rained for a short while on the first couple of days of the trip.

Side-blotched Lizard.

Tarantula Hawk.

I checked out this mountain range in Arizona.

A thumbnail-sized "Arizona Blond" tarantula.

Plateau Fence Lizard.

I saw several of these blue flowering shrubs.

The damp conditions under rocks were ideal for geckos.

An "in situ" Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.

Conditions were favorable for finding scorpions like this one.

Eaton's Firecracker.

Darkling Beetle.

Desert Deer.

White-tailed Antelope Squirrels were more commonly seen than usual.