SKYLINE DRIVE & POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE
I usually like to head out to California in April, but it's been a crazy year. The best I could do was to get out there last week. Here's what I found.

My first find was a pretty good one. California King as found:

Posed (you can see that she's gravid).

Then I found the biggest Coast Garter I've ever seen. She had two lumps in her, it felt like she ate two mice. I am endlessly fascinated by the color and pattern variations in Eastern Garter Snakes in the east. The same goes for Coast Garters in the west. So I will warn you in advance that there's going to be a whole lotta Coast Garters in this post.

A Southern Alligator Lizard with attitude.

Things really kicked into high gear when I found my first lifer of the trip - a snake I've always wanted to see in the field since I was a kid - Rubber Boa.

Close up of a snake I was totally stoked to finally find.

On Tuesday I set out to find another snake that has eluded me - the California Red-sided Garter. This time around I got smart and asked for Natalie's help - she said she knew where to find them.

It wasn't long before she dove into the grass and came up with a snake in each hand. One was this Coast Garter.

The other snake was an Aquatic Garter intergrade.

It was very cool with a wide stripe on an army green background.

These were fun finds.

Northern Alligator Lizards were seen moving through the underbrush. This location had some nice, high-contrast (for an Alligator Lizard) individuals.

Another cool Coast.

Several of this year's babies were seen as well.

There were many newly metamorphosed Sierra Treefrogs hopping around.

Two lifers in two days? Yeah, it happened when Natalie caught this California Red-sided Garter.