A Night in the Anza Borrego

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I have spent the time after returning from Las Vegas planning one of my own field herping adventures. I visited the Las Vegas Reptile Expo as you may know to cover it for this site. While my son Austin and I were inLas Vegas we had the opportunity to go out and do some field herping with a local and three other guests of the expo. To say it would turn out to be a night to remember is an understatement. For those close to me, they might find it unusual that I would attempt to go into the field in any capacity with more than two people. This is because it’s always been a long standing rule with me that I don’t go herping with more than two people at one time. Most times when herping with ‘large’ groups there are generally issues with who gets the capture not to mention the varying personalities have a tendency to clash. To avoid these potential encounters ‘gone south’ I would normally refuse to attend any field herping adventure that would include more than 3 people. Not just that, but I am a card carrying misanthrope as well.

Lone Desert Highway

I was listening to the weather report on the news with only half an ear on my way to work until they mentioned that we were about to experience a record heat wave.  My adrenaline and my interest peaked suddenly and I was instantly glued to the radio.  Why anyone would get excited about record-breaking heat is no doubt beyond some people’s idea of a good thing.  For me and other field herpers however, it is just the opposite.  It meant that the Anza Borrego Desert would get into the 100˚F range during the day and then drop to about the 70˚ at night.  Perfect “road cruising” weather conditions, road cruising for those unfamiliar with the term means to driving typically at night searching for herps on the road who have come to soak up the earlier days heat.

Just about anyone interested in field herping who lives in San Diego has traipsed out in the middle of the night to stalk the lonely highway leading to Scissors Crossing, which lies on the Western entrance to Anza Borrego Desert State park.  The S2 County highway is part of the Great Southern Overland Stage Route of 1849.  Scissors Crossing is known to most Field Herpers as a place to experience reptiles that are indigenous to that area.  Such as Scissors Crossing Kingsnakes Lampropeltis getula californiae and Barefoot Geckos Coleonyx switaki are both found there and have been documented.  The patterns of the Scissors Crossing Kings L. g. californiae are said to be interesting and have been bred in regular numbers in captivity so collecting in the wild is no longer needed.  Personally, they looked like a striped Desert California Kingsnake Lampropeltis getula californiae and really have no distinction from other forms that I can see.