It was quite startling to see the bright orange color on the head of this Broad-headed Skink (Plestiodon laticeps) yesterday at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia. We do not have many lizards in our area and they all tend to blend in much better with their surroundings than this one did.
According to information from the Virginia Herpetological Society, adult males of this species are uniformly brown most of the year. However, during mating season in the spring the head of the males becomes enlarged and turns bright orange. The color of their heads gradually fade and the head is reduced in size the rest of the year.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Nice capture, Mike. These guys usually move too fast for me.
Rather elegant, I think.
I like its curves and I think the greenish moss or lichen or whatever it is on the fallen tree provides a nice visual contrast to the orange on the skink’s head.
They are just weird 😂😂. We have them and even for lizards the head is strange, lol
Wonderful portrait, Mike! I love the way the orange head contrasts with the green lichen behind it and the way the vertical lines in the background intersect with the slinky curve of the skink.
I’ve always loved the name, skink. 🙂 There are northern prairie skinks in one area of Manitoba, in a small desert area, Carberry Desert. The are an endangered species.