I glanced into a 5 gallon bucket in a quiet corner of the back garden while I was watering the mints, and was surprised to find two lizards inside on top of a tangle of rusty chain. (This is the same chain used to attach my husband to a tree during the haunted arboretum last Halloween, only rustier after soaking in a bucketful of winter's rain)
At first I wondered if the lizards (Elgaria multicarinata, southern alligator lizard) had fallen into the bucket 1/2 full of chain, or were being adversely affected by the iron oxide all over their bodies, and were unable to get out. So I gently tipped the bucket at an angle to make it easier for them to climb up the slippery plastic bucket wall. On checking in with them later, though, I've found they come and go, and have seen a maximum of three of them at one time in or around the bright green bucket. One of them (the one pictured here or one just like it) burrows down into the pile of chain with just its head protruding. I wonder if they are nesting there among the rust.
3 comments:
Iron Lizards! They must be a tough bunch.
Very cool photos, almost like a painting. I figure with a healthy pesticide free yard come the lizards to keep watch on the bugs....so I welcome them.
Certainly great camouflage! And reliable. My lizards are probably in a tizzy after I removed the ratty looking poppies, though they still have the salvias and some rocks...
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