Author Archives: momdude

It seems obvious to me that we’ve had another clutch of lizard eggs hatching in the back yard.

On Friday I was taking a lap around the back yard (my watch had bitched at me) and I stopped when I saw this guy sitting on the side of the garden edging surrounding the big tree.

He seemed to have a greenish tint which I don’t recall having seen recently. Most of the newer lizards are either black or a light sandy tan color.

Just as I was starting to move, I spotted this guy as well.

Also with that green tint, this one off to my left instead of my right.

You can see them both here, their heads sticking up and “eclipsing” the brightly sunlit top surface of the edging material. One’s just in from the left edge of the picture, the other just before the right.

Leaving them to their peace and sunshine, I took just two or three steps to get to the other side of the big tree and found two more on a different piece of edging. Can you see them both?

Exhibit “C” is on top of the edging at the left in the bigger picture.

Exhibit “D” is on the side of the edging, right where the shadow from the roof cuts across the yard.

Still not moving, I looked over toward the patio, near where the trash cans are.

There’s Exhibit “E,” another of the Sandy Tan Clan.

In addition to all of these, when I shifted my feet two others darted from the dirt right by my feet and off into the tall desert grass growing there. That’s seven that I saw, which makes me suspect that there were more that I didn’t see.

These guys are all maybe two inches to two and a half inches long, tops. Out in the front yard, Gandalf and his siblings or sidekicks are all about twice that size. In turn, the driveway lizards that used to hide under the car (haven’t seen them in a few months) were about twice that. Of course, out in the garage (one sighting last year, with another siting in the garden by the front door once) is the household alligator lizard, who’s at least three or four times that, pushing 18″ or more the last I saw him. (The “popcorn” lizards, Gandalf and friends, and the driveway lizards are all Western fence lizards.)

Thinking about the hatching of the little guys, I’m surprised that it’s happening now. It’s going to be getting cooler very soon, and while it’s not snowy here at 1,050 elevation in SoCal, normally the lizards find a hole and hibernate through the cloudy and cool months until it’s time to warm up in spring. These little dudes will have very little time to put on some weight and size (assuming they don’t get eaten themselves) before it’s time to hibernate.

Time for “Fat Lizard” Week!

I went out in front to get the mail yesterday and there were four tiny “popcorn” fence lizards lined up along the sidewalk. I froze but two of them were already scurring for the bushes. One waited a few seconds, long enough for me to take out my phone.

By the time I moved my arms enough to widen out the zoom, he was off into the bushes as well. Only one of the four stayed out in his chosen warm spot in the sun.

Gandalf, who stood his ground even as I walked out about five feet in front of him and then inched in to get a good photo.

The only time I’ve seen him bail and scurry off was today when the phone rang just as I was going out the door. I was so preoccupied with answering and talking that I wasn’t watching where I was going at all, almost stepped on him.

He’s fine, made it to the bushes with room to spare. He may be fearless, but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid!