Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Sun worshippers

The past few days have been quite warm and very late-spring-like. The reptile contingent of the property have woken up. They're solar powered animals and we've had a long, wet winter so we haven't seen them for months. This chap has a bright blue tongue which is probably why he's colloquially known as a Blue Tongue Lizard. He's a quiet neighbour, slides gently away after ravishing the strawberries and never turns on cat, dog or other provoker. They seem to know all about him though, most particularly the power in his jaw should it require usage, and leave him well alone. The line he's about to cross is a normal garden hose which is acting as a scale indicator. He's covered in scales actually, they organise themselves into blue and yellow stripes. Not always symmetrically.
This likely lad and his many friends and relations are of a more forbidding countenance but they're rough diamonds. He also has a blue tongue although neither would show me their tongue for the camera as they're very polite, gentle, benign creatures. His name however comes from his other end. He's a Stumpy Tail Lizard (gosh, I wonder why?) also known as a Shingleback or just a Stumpy. They shun fame and attention, preferring to live out of sight under bushes and between rocks only sallying forth for the occasional meal of garden pests. They might not look pretty or be cuddly or furry or cute, but we appreciate their help. Rumour has it that they also eat snake eggs and even without their nice natures we would love them for that alone.