Great photos as usual, Sue !
I always feel like putting a gun to my head when I see your gardens !!!
Re: your lizards in the photos
Those are actually 2 different genus of lizards. The blue belly is one genus, the other one is a Western Alligator Lizard which is a separate genus.
We have both where I am, too...but the alligator lizards are more prevalent in my garden.
Many years ago I found (unknown to me at the time...) two miniscule baby alligator lizards under a rock after it rained. I brought them in the house and made a vivarium for them out of an old big dresser. It was like a 5 star hotel for reptiles ! LOL
The babies look completely different from the adults, so I had no clue what they were at the time.
They grew to be in excess of 24" long and lived for about 11 years. They laid clutches of eggs regularly and I would take the eggs up into the hills to save them from being eaten by the parents. (Obviously I had a male and a female.) These lizards don't care for their young. They lay their eggs, move on, and the babies are on their own to fend for themselves.
I used to observe them shed their skins on a regular basis. When they shed the old skin, they're a gorgeous blend of peach, gold, brown and black. Eventually they turn brown, but they're WAAAAAAAAAAAY cool !
The 2 that I had let me pick them up and they would eat out of my hand...crickets, slugs, moths, grasshoppers, etc.
Interesting fact about these guys: They're protected by law in the state of Calif. They can't be sold in pet shops and you're only legally allowed to keep 2 as pets.
OK...so much for the herpetology lesson for the day !
