A five-lined skink (a.k.a. blue-tailed skink or red-headed skink; Eumeces fasciatus) peeking out from a crack in a railroad tie.  The spritely critter spent the afternoon hunting termites, an activity that kept it bold and obvious despite my presence with a camera.

Making the move to East Texas has meant losing access to the plethora of wildlife in the midst of which I lived in Dallas, yet my relocation has also provided a veritable smorgasbord of wildlife, some new and some familiar, for my new home is well removed from city life and buried deep in the bucolic heart of the Piney Woods.

Like this busy reptile, I’ve been taking my fill of the wildness around me.