On Friday I was really happy to capture this image of a juvenile Common Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. How do I know that it is a juvenile? Only juveniles have the distinctive blue tail that I find to be exceptionally cool and that, in this case, adds a touch of color to an almost monochromatic image.
The old stump on which the skink was perched made a wonderful background for this shot and I love the way that the concentric age rings and the uneven texture of the wood mirror the colors and scales of the skink’s body. The shadowy center shape makes this feel like an aerial shot, as if a giant skink were standing on a ledge, staring down into a deep crevasse.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That blue tail is cool. I’ve never seen one, but when I looked them up on the Texas Master Naturalist site to see what they had to say about them, I found they’re most common in moist, wooded areas — not the prairies where I spend a good bit of time. Still, I know where to look for them, now.
Well, it sounds like the skink and I share a habitat–I am likely to be found most days in moist wooded areas too. 🙂
Thanks for sharing how to identifying juvenile skink. Great used of background to show it’s habitat. Love the shot.
Perfect shot!
I didn’t know the juveniles had the blue tail. Thanks.
100% agree with what you wrote about this outstanding photo, I absolutely love this one Mike! I’m gonna share on twitter right now.
Thanks, Liz.
Nice Mike! Really liked the blue tail!
Thanks, Reed. I too love the distinctive blue tail. I have heard various theories about the reason for it. On theory is that it allows the males of the species to know that the juvenile that is not a rival.
[…] If you are curious and would like to see a photo of the blue tail of a juvenile skink, check out this 2021 blog posting entitled Juvenile Skink in April. […]
The tail is so striking