The lizard pictured here got the "long-tailed" part of its name right, but disagreed with the "brush" part. Its companion was a few feet away on the same metal cable. We also saw a pair sharing a wooden post. We saw none in the bushes, where they are said to reside. That's probably because they have great camouflage flattened out against a long thin branch, and they tend not to move until you get very close.

We arrived in Borrego Springs as the shadows were growing long late on a hot spring day. Near our RV campsite I spotted a small lizard basking on a boulder. From a distance it didn't look like the right shape to be one of the ubiquitous side-blotched lizards, so I snuck up for a closer look and discovered this statuesque brush lizard. It let me approach to within a couple of feet without shifting its position on the pleasantly warm rock. After taking a few photos, I snuck away again, leaving the lizard looking just as contented as when I first saw it.