One more throwback to some of my older photos has to include this pretty little southeastern five lined skink (Plestiodon fasciatus) that I shot back in 2022. During warm weather there are always a few of these guys around my property and out in the forest behind the property. They’re not particularly shy of people and will sometimes even come looking for us to see what’s going on. This one was on my fence one afternoon when I came home from work. At first it was a little scared of me and it tried to hide itself in a space between two boards. The space was only large enough for it’s tail, as you can see in the second photo. As it got used to me, it got braver and came back out to sun itself. I grabbed the first shot then, so that I could capture that gorgeous blue tail. The tails are very important to these guys. They are bright and noticeable to predators that will attack and grab the tail. The tail can easily break off, allowing the rest of the skink to get away. A complex, but effective defense mechanism.