One of my rare 'hands on" experiences with local lizards, this beautiful blue tailed lizard had gotten trapped in an empty cacti bowl by the side of the house. He/she was running like mad up the sides of the bowl, like one of those crazy kids on a skateboard. Running up the ramp, full speed ahead, "I gotta get outta here!" LOL. After a while it calmed down and I was actually able to catch it. I stroked its head and back and it finally layed placidly in my palm so I could take this picture. One of my most satisfying experiences. I let it go in the back yard and it calmly slithered away.
     The Desert Spiny Back lizard below is a fixture in my back yard. He loved to perch atop my Mammillaria bocasana like a Lizard King surveying his kingdom. I witnessed this on several occasions. Sadly I lost the plant to rot and the King lost his perch. But he still hangs out here, I see him almost daily.
    Another King of the lizard world, the Iguana like "Big Lizard" below hangs out at the Desert Museum and happily poses for anyone with a camera. I don't know the genus or species but he truly is big. At least 18 inches long.
    One thing we must realize is that the Plant and Animal Kingdoms are inextricably intertwined. What that means is one can't exist without the other. Nearly all flowering plants rely on insects or other animals for pollination and reproduction. In return the animal or insect is provided with a source of food. Sometimes a sugar rich nectar, but also fruit and edible stems and leaves. Many Cacti and Succulent plants rely on animals to spread their seed in their droppings and sometimes in distribution of detached stems. Most of the Cylindropuntia propagate in this way. An animal gets a spiny segment caught in its fur and sooner or later manages to dislodge it. If conditions are right, the segment can root and produce a new colony, sometimes miles away from the original plant. Other plants such as the nocturnal flowering Cereus and its relatives actually utilize a two staged process of pollination and seed distribution. Bats pollinate the flowers in the spring and then migrate north. In the fall they return south and find the Cereus fruits ripe and ready for them to feast on. These relationships have gone on for millions of years and will continue to do so as long as we commit ourselves to protecting our environement. As Cacti and Succulent collectors and enthusiasts we must also appreciate the animals who share their environement, and add their own contributions to the symphony of life on Earth. This gallery is dedicated to them.

Bees by me	Big Lizard by me	Another view by me	Portrait by me
Blue tail lizard by me	A black background view by me	Cactus Bug (Narnia pallidicornis) by Xenomorf	Cactus Coreid Bug (Cheilinidea vittiger) by Xenomorf
Desert Box Turtle (Terrapene ornata luteola ) by Sheri Ross	Desert Spider Beetle (Cysteodemus armatus) by Xenomorf	Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister) by Xenomorf	Desert Spiny Lizard by me
A closer view by me	Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) by Xenomorf	Dove nested in a Chain-fruit cholla (Cylindropuntia fulgida) by Xenomorf	Grasshopper in an Astrophytum ornatum flower by me
Katydid on Euphorbia by Chantell Junk	Another view by Chantell Junk	Praying Mantis by Antoinette Hague	Another view by Antoinette Hauge
Tree Frog and Agave by Sue Welborn	A closer view by Sue Welborn	Toad in the Sempervivum patch by Chris Rentmeister	"Gulf Fritillary" Agraulis vanillae by me
Cheilinidea vittiger by me	Danaus eresimus "Soldier" by me	Oncideres rhodosticta "Mesquite Girdler" by me	Sticktenbergia by Peter Breslin
Chameleon walking the tight rope by Maddy	Chameleon walking the tight rope by Maddy	Chameleon walking the tight rope by Maddy	Collared Lizard by Joyce
Forest Tree Frog on Kalanchoe beharensis by Maddy	Forest Tree Frog on Kalanchoe beharensis by Maddy	Lizard and Haworthia by Robin Johnson	Mantis by Maddy
Mantis by Maddy	Nesting Dove by Jesse Cook	Painted Reed Frog on Kalanchoe viguieri by Maddy	Painted Reed Frog on Kalanchoe viguieri by Maddy
Pink Spotted Hawk Moth by Me	South African Moth by Maddy	South African Moth by Maddy	Sphinx Moth by John P. Jones