Jerry Smith thunderstorms

The first storms of the year. I was going to head over to the Blue River Glades, but decided to take advantage of JSmith's wide open skies for the incoming storms.
I am not too familiar with cloud formations, but I know that they were all there this afternoon. Thick and thin, fluffy and smooth.
I got to the park at about 4pm- the storms still had about an hour to arrive. I ventured onto the prairie- found a creek bed. It trickled, but there was a lot of dried rock and clay exposed. I followed the creek down toward the woods in SagerWoods CA and stumbled upon a puddle. The crystal water had accumulated between the walls of the creek bed and two mounds of eroded rock and clay. About a foot deep and the same in diameter- the clay substrate died it red.
I approached the tiny body of water and watched my faint shadow eclipse it's little sunlight. Something moved. Something small in the water had made a sudden movement and caught my attention.
The wind gusted gently- about 8mph and it rippled the surface of the darkened puddle. I jumped into the stream bed to study it's life- discovered that the bed was very muddy. My poor new shoes.
There it was again! This time the creature left a small cloud of sediment in it's track. Another. There were multiple creatures and I edged toward the water. Its like Quicksand, only nastier. I consider the damage I would do the the creek before I proceeded further, but decided that any storms this evening would undo my doings.
The red mud swallows my ankles. There goes another one! Its cloud disappeared under a rock on my side of the water. I set my cameras on the bank and set both hands in the water. One cupped the open side of the rock; my right hand flipped it.
I must have blinked, because I did not see the tiny crustacean pop out, but he was in my hand. I slowly lifted him out of the water- careful not to let the water rush over my hand too quickly as to take the critter with it. It was a tiny crawdad-maybe a shrimp, I thought- only a few mm in length.
A fairy shrimp? Maybe a blue-claw. No, this was different. And why was he in a small, temporary stream? I knew what it was. My heart jumped with excitement! All I had to do was to prove that it was a prairie crayfish. I dont think theyve been found on the area yet!
I set him on a dime and took a few photos- a shrimpy little thing!
When he realized he was back in the water he bolted. gone in a second!
Off I went to find the proof I knew had to be around. I needed to find an adult, or his chimney. Prairie Crayfish build huge mud tunnels that can stick several inches out of the ground- they had to be there!
I walked up the stream bed to where I had begun, but found nothing. I began to suspect every mud pile to be what I wanted. Back.
There it was. Just a few feet on the opposite side of the babes- a small tunnel, though no mud chimney. I took a photo and continued to search. Another. This one was huge, and was everything I wanted to find. Im still very excited about my discovery- I think its an important one!
The sky grew bright, but I had made my way into the woods and could only see what was directly above me. Sunlight- the trees became bright.
I flipped a rock. Another. Another. Nobody.
I strolled down the Sager Woods trail until I found a second creek bed. This one was bone-dry, but It was worth a try. I flipped a rock. A camouflaged skink was surprised. He shot under a near rock. The rock was flat and was tight to the ground. I let him alone and went up a few feet. A large, loose rock kept my eyes, and I was drawn to it. The overturned rock exposed four five-lined (bluetail) skinks. They are all very large- fat- one is significantly more colorful than the others, and smaller. I assume this one is a male-the others, female.
They scattered and I cornered one for a blurred photo. Disappointing; she was beautifully posed!
One of them iridescent purple beetles scurried from another rock. I snatched him up and cupped him against the larger rock until I felt him settle down. It took a few trys, but I got him to stay still enough for an exciting close-up. Click on the photo for a larger, more detailed view.

I returned the rock, satisfied with my photos. I immediately noticed how dark it was and remembered why I had come to the park in the first place. Such distractions are common for me in the natural places I visit. It is unusual and disappointing when I have an outing that does not find me in a place I did not expect to go, or show me a plant or bug that consumes more of my time than I have to spend with it.
But this was perfect. A rumble of thunder evoked a series of yells, screams, hoots and hollers from several different Great Horned owls in the woods below me. A kestrel replied. He was very close and his deafening scream surprised me.
In the distance- where the evening sun should be, were some darker clouds.- just dark enough to notice. They grew quickly and approached swiftly. They were more glorious and impressive with every second and they stole every bit of my attention for many minutes. The wind picked up- but it was headed west. Toward the clouds. .. odd.
They continued to grow and when they became as large as I thought they could be, the bottoms began to boil. They bubbled and blistered until they were close and huge. I took photos and ran up the hill for several different foregrounds. I think that these are called mammatus clouds.
the sky to my left was even darker. . The sky above the steel barn appeared black, but the bottom of the cloud was smooth and creepy. I couldnt get a good photo of this one.
The wind died. completely and suddenly. It was silent with the exception of a faint rumble of thunder and that of the nearby traffic. the clouds passed over me quickly and seemed to dissipate soon after. - they became grey and normal looking and the wind returned. It was very cool- even spooky for a few minutes, but it was missing the overall feel of a powerful storm that I miss from last season.. .Perhaps I'll get the severe part later this week. Images were only slightly altered (cropped and contrast-the usual) and no special anythings used. ENJOY! below photo I adjusted midtones to make darker+more dramatic.