A Guide to the Amphibians
and Reptiles of California

Living With Wild Reptiles and Amphibians

Many people are fortunate to have native wild herps living on their property - frogs around artificial ponds; lizards in the backyard; gartersnakes that swim in the pool; gopher snakes under the porch; or salamanders that live under flower pots or even enter a swimming pool to breed. Others want to improve their property so they can encourage herps to take up residence. There are a number of resources available to help you learn how to attract wildlife to your yard. Most assume you want to attract birds, but some offer help with reptiles and amphibians. I have tried to assemble some basic information based on what I've read, and a little bit of my own experience with yard herps. I'm not a gardener or an expert on gardening for wildlife, but I have lived in and visited a number of areas of California where herps lived on the property, in country, suburban, and urban settings, and I have done a little bit of reading about the subject. I have also assembled a list of links to information about the subject. This information is general and applies to a variety of climates and animals, not all necessary found in California. Let me know if you find any other good links or have information to share. If you are interested in dealing with venomous snakes on your property, check out some of the links here. Below the links, I have compiled a list of herps that I have learned to be residents or regular visitors to urban or suburban properties around the state. The list and the locations are by no means meant to be complete, but they are a good place to start if you want to know what is living on your property. I will add more when I learn of them, so keep me posted. Look here for some information on a few of the many possible abandoned pets that might be found in California. Please be aware that it is unethical and illegal to release non-native reptiles or amphibians onto your property. Non-native species can kill or chase off native species, or bring in diseases against which the native species have no defense. (There are many, many examples of this, including the ecological devestation that happened when the Brown Tree Snake was introduced to the island of Guam, and the devastation of Hawaii's native bird population, caused by the introdution of many non-native species which brought in avian malaria against which the native birds were defenseless forcing them to live only at altitudes too high for the malaria mosquitoes to thrive.)

Western Fence Lizards are common in yards in many areas of California.	Rattlesnakes are often unwanted yard visitors that can pose a threat to your pets and to you . This cat was very lucky. Look here for some links to information about dealing with rattlesnakes on your property. © Luke Davis

This harmless Pacific Gopher Snake was an unexpected surprise when it showed up on the porch one day. © Tim Herbert	This coachwhip was a surprise visitor to a back porch in San Diego County. © Linda Morgan
What kinds of amphibians and reptiles might live on your property There are a number of factors which will determine the types of herps that might live in your yard or garden. Foremost, of course, will be where you live, and what herps naturally occur in the area, including established non-natives. The condition of the land surrounding your property is also important. If you live on a large tract of land in the country, then you are more likely to have a wider variety of herps. If you are close to undeveloped natural land, or land that has been allowed to remain somewhat natural that provides a corridor between your property and some natural habitat, then there is more opportunity for herps to move into your property. Herps are also capable of crossing roads and urbanized habitat, and sometimes they even find a niche there. The climate and how much shade and moisture and shelter are present are also important. If your yard is always dry and sunny, you probably won't have any amphibians. If it is always wet and shady, you will probably not have any reptiles. However, in some areas, you might see amphibians in the winter and reptiles in the summer. Southern California suburban yards often have lizards and maybe snakes, along with Garden Slender Salamanders that show up on the surface fall through spring, after rains. The presence of predators, including household pets, especially housecats, will also determine how many herps survive on your property. Attracting amphibians and reptiles to your property and encouraging them to stay Provide Shelter and Vegetation If you want to make your yard and garden into good habitat for wildlife, you will have to fight off the urge to keep them too neat and tidy. And you need to be careful when mowing and trimming plants and cleaning up so you don't kill any herps. You don't have to live in a jungle, but you should at least leave some leaves and other debris on the ground to attract insects and provide cover for herps, and you should provide other areas of cover such as piles of rocks and other debris for them to shelter under, and to help them escape from dogs, cats, birds, racoons, or other predators. Make sure there are no holes or containers such as large empty flower pots that could trap herps. If there are potential traps around, try to provide some sort of "ladder" for them to crawl up to get out. (One commercial product has been designed to help frogs escape from swimming pools.) Along with shelter and hiding places, reptiles need sunny areas nearby where they can bask in the sun, but retreat into cover if they are frightened. Amphibians also appreciate sunny areas with cover to hide under, where they can enjoy the heat, but stay out of the direct sunlight. Walls with plants and shrubs next to them are perfect for lizards, as are piles of rocks or wood which get sunlight. There may be herps on your property that you never see because they are secretive or nocturnal. If you want to learn what secretive herps might be on your property, you can lay out a few large rocks and small boards in areas where they were not too conspicuous. These will provide hiding places for snakes and lizards and salamanders, which you can easily lift to see what herps are around. You can also look under garden pots and other objects in the yard. Be careful when you set these objects back down that you don't squash the herps. Never set something down on top of an animal. Even a slight change in position can trap or crush the animal. Always make sure the animal has moved before you the object back down. Let it crawl back under or run away after you set the object down. Also be careful not to squash any other living critters. These could be an important food source. Herps can adapt to non-native vegetation as long as it provides the food and shelter they need, but, according to the experts, you should try to plant mostly a variety of native plants. Use Pesticides Sparingly Almost all herps that will be attracted to your yard eat insects and other bugs, so use pesticides and other chemicals sparingly to avoid killing off the food supply, or use natural pest control methods when necessary. It is also likely that strong pesticides might also kill or sicken your yard herps. Ponds If you build a pond hoping to attract frogs and toads, you should know that most California frogs and toads are not strictly aquatic. They enter the water mainly to breed, then leave. So they need suitable habitat on land as much or more than they need standing water. Native frogs and toads that you could find in your yard in California have evolved to live on land when ponds are low or dried up. Their tadpoles change into frogs in one season. But if you build a pond to attract frogs, you are just as likely to attract non-native Bullfrogs as you are native species. Bullfrogs do stay in the water, and they will make it difficult for other frogs to survive since they are voracious predators of anything smaller than themselves. One way to get rid of bullfrogs is to empty the pond for part of the year. This will kill their tadpoles and force them to move away. However, more bullfrogs will probably return when you re-fill the pond. A number of people have asked where they can buy native frogs and toads or turtles to put in their pond. It is commendable that they want to restore the habitat back to what it once was, but it is not legal to sell most native reptiles and amphibians in California. You would have to collect some frogs yourself, with the proper license and following the rules limiting how many you can catch. The law also states that you cannot release wild-caught herps back into the wild. However, if they are species that are native to your area, it would not be easy to determine that they did not show up there by themselves. I have not heard of anyone getting fined for introducing native species on their property, but it's possible. You might be able to work with a neighborhood group that is re-populating native herps in your area, or with the California Department of Fish and Game.

Nylon netting is frequently used on the ground for erosion control or as a trellis for climbing plants, but it can pose a tremendous threat to snakes, which become entrapped in the mesh and die. Avoid using netting in your garden if you want to coexist with your native herpetofauna.

	Suzanne Camejo found this gophersnake in an apricot tree which it had climbed probably trying to raid a Mockingbird nest. The snake was entangled in nylon netting used to protect the fruit from birds. Suzanne and her friends cut the netting, which had dug into the snake's skin, to free the snake. They were repaid with the hissing and striking of a very stressed-out snake, but one that was now free to crawl away and continue to rid the garden of rodents and rabbits. Although netting is used as a natural method of pest control, it can be a hazard to some animals, especially snakes. © Suzanne Camejo
Some Useful Links
Gardening and Managing Your Yard for Wildlife
Reptiles and Amphibians in Your Backyard	This link downloads a .PDF file produced by North Carolina State University. It is designed for North Carolina residents, and helps them identify species in their yards, but at the end it contains information that can be useful in California, under "Sharing the Land with Amphibians and Reptiles - Creating a Backyard Habitat."
Gardening For Wildlife	Information from the National Wildlife Federation that could apply to gardening for herps.
Gardening with Wildlife in Mind	From About.com.
Wild About Gardening	Building ponds, toad shelters, toad holes, and snake dens - from the Canadian Wildlife Association.
GardenWeb	GardenWeb.com has forums, including a California Gardening forum, where you can post questions or do a search to read discussions about lizards or frogs in gardens, although they are not specific to California gardens.
Ponds
Building a Frog-Friendly Pond	From About.com.
Froglog	A device for helping animals get out of swimming pools.
Aquatic Turtles and Outdoor Ponds	Things to consider before you put a turtle in an outdoor pond, from About.com.
Reptiles
Living with Rattlesnakes	A collection of links I have assembled to help you deal with living around these dangerous snakes.
Helping Lizards	A great web page from the LA Museum of Natural History which is trying to enourage urban residents to help protect their local lizards.
Building a Snake Shelter	A group builds an elaborate shelter in a Seattle park to provide a hiding place and wintering spot for gartersnakes. The article includes a detailed drawing of the herpetarium.
Building a Snake Hibernaculum	From the Toronto Zoo.
Artificial Hibernacula	Respectthesnake.com documents the building of arfificial hibernation structures for the Lake Erie Water Snake at an Ohio State Park.
Learning to Live With Wildlife
Wildcare	An urban wildlife rehabilitation center based in the Bay Area, that offers eduation about living with wildlife, a Living With Wildlife telephone hotline, and a wildlife rehabilitation hospital.
Pets as Herp Predators
CatBib	A device that interferes with a housecat's ability to catch birds. It probably stops them from catching herps, too. Fluffy will probably pee in your shoes if you get one, but your yard lizards will love you for it.
Some of the Herps Often Found In California Yards
These are some herps that I know have been found living around humans in California, typically in yards. There are most certainly many more. The locations listed here are not the only places they occur, just the ones I know of.
Snakes
Gopher Snakes - This is probably the most common yard snake in the state, from the valley to the East Bay to the Mohave desert to Riverside county and San Diego county. California Kingsnakes - Have been found in yards near open space. Gartersnakes - Have been found swimming in swimming pools and fountains in Sonoma and San Diego Counties. Found in yards on the north coast. Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes - Sometimes found in yards, often in the Sierra Nevada Foothills near Sacramento where new housing developments have encroached on rattlesnake habitat. Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes - Sometimes found in yards in rural areas. Red Coachwhips - Often seen in yards in desert communities. Ring-necked Snakes - Found under debris in moist shaded areas - San Rafael, San Jose, Van Nuys. Sharp-tailed Snakes - Found under debris in moist shaded areas in yards in Northern California, including Marin County and the northern Sierra Nevada Foothills. Threadsnakes (Blindsnakes) - Occasionally found on wet pavement in San Diego County. I received a report of one crawling on someone's kitchen floor.
Lizards
Western Fence lizards are probably the most common yard lizard in the state, often seen basking on fences and walls. Alligator lizards are probably the second most common yard lizard, especially in southern California where they sometimes live in garages and enter homes. Side-blotched lizards - Found in desert communities and semi-arid areas, such as Moreno Valley and San Diego County. Granite Night Lizards - Have been found living on houses in San Diego and Riverside Counties, where they eat insects attracted to lights, similar to geckos. Mediterranean Geckos - Have been found living in and on houses in the Palm Springs area, in Ocotillo, near Fresno, and elsewhere. They appear to be spreading. Long-tailed Brush lizards - Found on suburban vegetation in the Palm Springs area, and probably in other desert communities. Silvery Legless lizards - Sometimes found in gardens and leaf litter in San Diego and Los Angeles Counties. Green Anoles - In the southeast and Hawaii, these lizards are common in yard vegetation and on external walls. I have even seen them enter the house. There are reports of them along with Brown Anoles being seen in California yards, but they have not yet been confirmed.
Turtles
Red-eared Sliders - Sometimes found in artificial ponds.
Frogs and Toads
California Toads - Found in yards in many locations around the state, although not as many as there used to be. They are attracted to areas with lawn sprinklers. Some isolated desert locations where they have been found (possibly introduced) are California City, Borrego Springs, and Ridgecrest. Northern Pacific Treefrogs - Often found in yards on the far north coast, entering ponds and other standing water to breed. Sierran Treefrogs - Found in wet yards and ponds throughout the northern part of the state. Baja California Treefrogs - Found around southern California ponds. Bullfrogs - Found in artificial ponds over most of the state. Northern Red-legged Frogs - Found in ponds and yards along the north coast. California Red-legged Frogs - Found in ponds on rural property in the East Bay.
Salamanders
California Slender salamanders - Commonly in yards in the Bay Area. Often mistaken for worms. Garden Slender Salamanders - Common in yards in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, and Riverside Counties. Often mistaken for worms. Arboreal salamanders - Often found in yards in the Bay Area and sometimes inside garages and basements. Seen climbing on sidewalks and on walls on rainy nights. California Giant Salamanders - Found in forested areas near creeks in the Santa Cruz Mountains and in Marin County during rainy weather. Northwestern Salamanders - Found under debris in wet areas along the north coast. Rough-skinned Newts - Found under debris in wet areas along the north coast.

These two male San Diego Alligator Lizards were spotted fighting over a female on a back porch in Los Angeles County. © Carola Bundy	A Juvenile Mediterranean Gecko climbs up a kitchen window in Austin, Texas.

Arboreal Salamanders are common residents of some yards, especially in the Bay Area. This one lived in my garage.	In winter, Northern Red-legged Frogs enter this artificial pond on the Humboldt County coast to breed and lay eggs.

These female Monterey Ensatina were found brooding their eggs underneath a wet rotting board that was under a house in Monterey County. © Joe Garcia	This California Alligator lizard is climbing up a screen door in Alamda County. © Ameet Zaveri

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