Like most, this Mojave Desert Sidewinder blends well with habitat color.
Now on to Utah where our target species was a Great Basin Rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus lutosus (although the older taxonomy of C. viridis lutosus seems more fitting). But of course there were secondary targets to look for along the way. This night our “along the way” was in eastern California where we were hoping for a Colorado Desert Sidewinder, Crotalus cerastes cerastes, the only one of the 3 subspecies that Jake still needed. We had driven northward at dusk while darkness settled in.

Jake and I had been discussing the locales we needed to try for the Great Basin Rattler. Mother Nature, with her typical disregard for traveling herpers had continued to plague us with night temperatures just a couple of degrees too cool for night active species to be out and active. Many of the species on this trip that we had thought would be easy finds, shoe-ins if you will, had proven difficult at best. We were now down to only 3 days/nights remaining on this trip and the temperatures showed every indication of being problematic at best. So, with temps against us, we simply had to put as many hours on the road as possible.

About a half hour north of the almost ghost town of Trona we decided to turn around and head for the motel. Traffic was light but there were continually headlights behind us. Since were going fairly slow it didn’t take long for us to be overtaken. Trona was now behind us and several cars were closing the gap. Just about as several were poised to pass us, Jake hollered “sidewinder.” I had passed over it and once the cars whipped by I was able to turn and speed back. Sure enough, still lying quietly coiled in mid-lane was Jake’s lifer Colorado Desert Sidewinder.

Southward again and there was another sidewinder but we simply assured that it left the pavement. Was that a piece of rope in the other lane? I was able to stop quickly and Jake hopped out and returned with a beautiful little tricolored Variable Ground Snake, Sonora semiannulata. We were happy and now the motel was in sight.

Tomorrow Utah, tomorrow night, hopefully, a Great Basin Rattlesnake.