Trail-building volunteers discover cool creature

WILDLIFE WATCHING — Volunteers building a new trail spur in a portion of Riverside State Park last weekend became acquainted with a critter that tends to stay out of sight.

Workers moving rocks on the Knothead Trail above the confluence of the Spokane and Little Spokane Rivers exposed a western skink, a lizard with a distinctive blue tail.

The skink has a shiny appearance because the body is covered in smooth and shiny, rounded scales. The dorsal coloration consists of brown, black, and golden-yellow or cream longitudinal stripes extending from the nose to the anterior portion of the tail. Younger western skinks have brilliant blue tails that become progressively duller as they age.

Warning: That attractive tail is part of the skink’s defense system. Predators, including curious people, that tend to zero in on the tail when trying to catch the skink will get only a piece of the action. The tail is designed to break free so the creature can scamper off to safety.

So if you see one, don’t break off its tail, which the lizard needs to survive other attacks — and to look pretty.

Click here to find out how you can join the next Washington Trails Association trail work party.