Sunbathers of a different sort...

Five-lined skins, an adult male (pale, indistinct body markings but bright orangey-red head) and probably a young adult female (large but still with visible "lines" and blue color to her tail--she'll fade and go more gray as she ages [gee, that sounds familiar]), and a Red Admiral (butterfly) enjoying the sun hitting my silver maple in the late afternoon of May 4th, 2012, the Day of a Million Butterflies.

At least three southern species--the admirals, Question Marks, and American Ladies--migrated north in huge numbers (easily 100-200 passing per minute, for hours) this year. I was quite happy to find the lizards; they gave me a different photographic take on what I knew would be dozens of butterfly photos from the "Event".

What are you doing way up there, girlfriend?

Not typically an arboreal species, but the books say that skinks will climb trees. Obviously. Although I've never encountered one quite this high off the ground (8-10ft, well above my head) before.