MOUNT CHARLESTON
The following day I visited a mountain in southern Nevada.

Spiny Lizard.

A Spotted Sandpiper patrolling the edge of a man-made concrete pond.

Marine Blues.

Great-tailed Grackles seem to be becoming much more common in the Las Vegas area.

A Clark County Gopher Snake.

A family of Long-eared Owls.

Zebra-tail Lizard.

Longnose Snake.

Close-up of the same Longnose snake pictured above.

Sometimes I find myself promoting the virtues of trees - even while on vacation.

A Western Whiptail showing off its long, whiplike tail.

At the base of the mountain it is a desert, but as you get close to the top, the increase in elevation causes a dramatic change in temperature and moisture and you find yourself in a cool, temperate forest.

Nuttall's Linanthus.

A pair of Sagebrush Lizards.

A cave made of branches.

Female Sagebrush Lizard.

Indian Paintbrush.

Male Sagebrush Lizard doing "push ups."

Alpine Shooting Star.