While Iron is definitely the secret to getting a quick darkening of the grass, all Iron is NOT the same, and those recommending applying Iron to the soil don't understand the soil chemistry, or the regional quirks of the DFW area. Soils in the DFW area are very often at pH 7.5 - 7.8, and are calcareous (large excesses of Calcium and sometimes both Calcium and Magnesium). Iron solubility is heavily influenced by both Calcium and pH - the same amount of Iron may be 1000 PPM soluble at pH 6.3, but will drop to 352 PPM at pH 6.5, 35 PPM at pH 7.0 and 3.5 PPM at pH 7.5. Unchelated Iron will become unavailable almost immediately upon soil contact. Chelated (part of an organic molecule) Iron will last longer. Milorganite behaves as chelated because it came from the organic bacteria that digested the sewage. The way to get very dark grass quickly is to apply it in a foliar fashion to the grass instead of the soil. Backpack or pump-up sprayers are best because the droplets are much tinier than the hose-end sprayer applicators, and less runs off. The bad news is that it grows off in 2-3 weeks as the grass grows out, and must be reapplied to maintain the look. Be careful - while it can work literally overnight, it doesn't take much -- and too much will make the grass look a muddy slate-gray.

Let me think... Green Treefrog Gray Treefrog Spring Peeper Blanchards Cricket Frog Western Chorus Frog Bullfrog Green frog Bronze Frog Northern Leopard Frog (heard) Southern Leopard Frog American Toad Dwarf American Toad Fowlers Toad Blue Spotted Salamander Tiger Salamander Spotted Salamander Smallmouth Salamander Marbled Salamander Mole Salamander Longtail Salamander Cave Salamander Eastern Zigzag Salamander Southern Redback Salamander Northern Slimy Salamander Western Slimy Salamander Common Snapping Turtle Midland Painted Turtle Southern Painted Turtle Common Map Turtle Red Eared Slider Blanding's Turtle Eastern Collered Lizard Northern Fence Lizard Southern Coal Skink Five Lined Skink Broad-headed Skink Ground Skink Western Worm Snake Midwest Worm Snake Southern Black Racer Northern Ringneck Snake Mississippi Ringneck Snake Prairie Ringneck Snake Black Ratsnake Western Fox Snake Eastern Hognose Snake Speckled Kingsnake Black Kingsnake Yellowbelly Watern Snake Midland Water Snake Northern Water Snake Broad Banded Water Snake Queen Snake Midland Brown Snake Northern Redbelly Snake Eastern Garter Snake Chicago Garter Snake Lined Snake Western Cottonmouth Timber Rattlesnake Scott

Some of the numbers are still a couple of trips behind but I think that the species list is mostly caught up-- Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma Red milk (Lampropeltis triangulum syspila)------------------------38 Central plains milk (Lampropeltis triangulum gentilis) -----------21 Prairie king (Lampropeltis c. calligaster)----------------------------8 (3 DOR) Speckled king (Lampropeltis getula holbrooki)--------------------29 (3 DOR) (and speckled/desert intergrade) Osage copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster)---------15 Broad-banded copperhead, (Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus)--6 (3 DOR) Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)------------------------------4 (1 DOR) Western Pigmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius streckeri)-------2 (1 DOR) Western Cottonmouth, (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma)----1 Western massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus tergeminus)------------10 (DOR) (dead lifer) Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus v. viridis)-------------------------------1 (DOR) (dead lifer) Northern Scarlet snake (Cemophora coccinea copei)---------------1 (DOR) Western coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum testaceus)------------ 2 (1 DOR) Eastern Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum flagellum)------------1 (DOR) Black rat snake (Elaphe/Pantherophis o. obsoleta)-----------------12 (2 DOR) Great plains rat (Elaphe guttata emoryi)-----------------------------8 Bull snake (Pituophis catenifer sayi)---------------------------------20 (8 DOR) Northern water (Nerodia sipedon sipedon)---------------------------1 Blotched water (Nerodia erythrogaster transversa)-----------------2 Rough green snake (Opheodrys a. aestivus)--------------------------6 (5 DOR) Graham's Crayfish Snake (Regina grahamii)-------------------------1 Smooth earth snake (Virginia valeriae elegans)---------------------8 Rough earth snake (Virginia striatula)--------------------------------1 (lifer) Flathead snake (Tantilla gracilis)--------------------------------------4 (lifer) Plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix)-------------------------------1 (lifer) Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum)------------------------13 (8 DOR) Collared lizard (Crotaphytus c. collaris)------------------------------11 Western slender glass lizard (Ophisaurus a. attenuatus)------------4 Prairie lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus)--------------------------------7 Gray tree frog (Hyla Versicolor)---------------------------------------15+ Smallmouth Salamander (Ambystoma texanum) --------------------10 Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)------------------------1 (lifer) Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma t. tigrinum)-----------------1 (DOR) (dead lifer) Pickerel Frog (Rana palustris)-----------------------------------------2 (lifer) Great plains toad (Bufo cognatus)--------------------------------------1 (DOR) Midland Smooth Softshell (Apalone mutica mutica) ---------- ? 1 Too many to counts: Yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) Prairie ringneck (Diadophis punctatus arnyi) (1000s) Texas brown snake (Storeria dekayi texana) Red-sided garter (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) Western worm snake (Carphophis vermis) Great plains skink (Eumeces obsoletus) Five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus) Chorus frog (Pseudacris t. triseriata) Cricket frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi) Southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala utricularius) Plains leopard frog (Rana blairi) Bullfrog (Rana Catesbeiana) Central newt (Notophthalmus viridens louisianensis) Uncounted species (laziness) Ribbon snake (Thamnophis p. proximus) Lined snake (Tropidoclonian lineatum) Prairie racerunner (Cnemidophorus sexlineatus viridis) Fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus) Ground skink (Scincella lateralis) Ornate box turtle (Terrapene o. ornata) Three toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta belli) Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) Common snapping turtle (Chelydra s. serpentina) G.P. narrowmouth toad (Gastrophryne olivacea) American toad (Bufo a. americanus) Woodhouse's Toad (Bufo woodhousii woodhousii) Northern Spring Peeper - Pseudacris crucifer crucifer (heard) So. California Southern Rubber Boa (Charina umbratica) 1 Desert Rosy Boa (Charina/ Lichanura trivirgata gracia) 1 Coastal Rosy Boa (Charina/ Lichanura trivirgata roseofusca) 3 Rosy Boa (Charina/ Lichanura trivirgata roseofusca x gracia) 1 California Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata) 3 California Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getulus californiae) 2 (1 DOR) Striped Racer/whipsnake (Masticophis l. lateralis) 2 (1 DOR) Lyre Snake (Trimorphodon biscutatus lyrophanes) 3 Red Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum piceus) 6 (DOR) Southwestern blind snake (Leptotyphlops humilis humilis) 1 Desert Glossy Snake (Arizona elegans eburnata) 8 (3 DOR) Shovelnose snake (Chionactis occipitalis annulata) 4 (1 DOR) Great Basin Gopher Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus deserticola) 5 (DOR) San Diego Gopher Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus annectens) 7 (3 DOR) Spotted Leafnose Snake (Phyllorhynchus decurtatus) 15 Desert Night Snake (Hypsiglena torquata deserticola) 2 Desert Patchnose (Salvadora hexalepis hexalepis) 1 (DOR) Western Longnose Snake (Rhinocheilus l. lecontei) 2 (1 DOR) Southern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus helleri) 3 (1 DOR) Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) 1 (DOR) Speckled Rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii pyrrhus) 1 (DOR) Colorado Desert Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes laterorepens) 2 Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) 3 Southern Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum) 2 (1 DOR) Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii) 1 Desert Iguana (Diposaurus d. dorsalis) 2 (1 DOR) Western skink (Eumeces s. skiltonianus) 15+ Western Zebra-tailed lizard (Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus) 2 Side-blotched Lizard (Uta stansbutiana stejnegeri) TMTC Granite Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus orcutti) (and probably S. magister uniformis also) TMTC Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis longipes) TMTC Desert Banded Gecko (Coleonyx v. variegatus) 46+ (5+ DOR) Long-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) 1 Colorado Desert Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma notata) 20+ Southern Sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus) Granite Night Lizard (Xantusia henshawi) 4 Western Red-tailed Skink (Eumeces "gilberti" rubricaudatus) 1 Orange-throated Whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra) 1 Great Basin Whiptail (Aspidoscelis t. tigris) 5+ Coastal Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegeri) 3+ Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Rana muscosa) 1 California Treefrog (Pseudacris (Hyla) cadaverina) 1 Pacific Treefrog (Pseudacris (Hyla) regilla) 1 Red-spotted Toad (Bufo punctatus) 1 California Toad (Bufo boreas halophilus) 1 Large Blotched Ensatina (Ensatina eschsholtzi klauberi) 1 Ensatina (Ensatina eschsholtzi klauberi x E. e. croceator (or x E. e. eschsholtzi?)) 1 ("+" after a number = counted to that number then lost count)

Marilyn - sorry - just wanted to clarify that my previous post wasn't aimed at you in the very least. Again, you are doing the responsible thing by not releasing that animal. If you would like some more options as to care and whatnot - you've prooobably got a nearby or local herpetological society that might know of someone responsible who would take it off your hands. Now, while they can get quite aggressive, they are nonetheless interesting, impressive animals (rather personable and curious) and make good display animals at zoos. A local nature centers might also be interested if they have setups showing "Exotic Species". Then again, sometimes these unwanted rescues end up having silver linings to them - I've got a few animals that I took in as rescues and couldn't get rid of initially that I've become quite fond of (even if they are still a pain in the butt at times...haha). As for enclosures, you could possibly make a relatively cheap, large, outdoor enclosure for the animal which would solve many many problems and keep costs and maintenance down to a minimum. Since Ctenosaura are excellent diggers, I would recommend making what is basically a wood-framed (1"x1" pine wood beams work well) box that is enclosed on ALL sides with a lockable, hinged lid. I'd also probably use 0.5" x 0.5" heavy duty wire that is stapled to the wire frame. Dig a hole, sink the enclosure in there a bit and fill in with dirt - this way the animal can behave naturally and dig, but not escape. You could also landscape it with some boulders and plants...make yourself a neat little outdoor enclosure that I'm sure you'd end up enjoying. Here's an example of an enclosure that I made for my turtles if that helps you visualize what I'm talking about at all - I would just recommend making a wood frame and keeping the rest wire though. This cost about $100 to make and measures around 9x4 feet and 24" tall. It cost a little more than what you'd make because I used cedar (the moisture levels here would have rotted pine in a couple years). Here is another enclosure I used (for turtles) that is more suitable for a lizard. What you can't see is that the enclosure is totally enclosed - that enclosure is essentially a wire box that is sunken into the ground. Hope that helps and gives some encouragement. ~Mike