Under corrugated metal with gophersnake
Female found by Riley
Air temperature: 2.8 C. Snow temperature near observation: -0.5 to -2.5 (IR thermometer, Fluke 74 Max). Windy but this snow drift was a little protected.
67mm SVL. This exceeds the max SVL for P. vehiculum for general location (group 12, Benton County, OR; max SVL size class for location was 55-59 mm SVL) in Brodie (1969; thesis) even if measurements in Brodie (1969) were to the anterior part of vent (common measurement difference some herpetologists tended to do) instead of posterior part. Max size of Plethodon vehiculum in study was 64mm SVL and were from island population in Washington that appeared to have unusually large specimens of P vehiculum compared to other populations. Size of observed specimen is larger than this, but I am unsure if it would be beyond this if Brodie measured to anterior of vent (probably still larger but much more iffy).
Melanistic populations here were temporarily known as Plethodon gordoni before being placed back into Plethodon dunni. In Brodie (1969), these are referred to as, " "unstriped" Plethodon: Benton County, Oregon".
Brodie ED Jr. 1969. Geographic variation and systematics of the western Plethodon [thesis]. Corvallis, OR: Oregon State University. 119 p.
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/9z903363k?locale=en
1 rock, 2 bullets, & 3 scorpions.
Found this gorgeous owl sleeping
Recently fledged
Spotted Owl