As my children get
older I find that they have inherited my tendency for catching lizards. My
younger son recently stated that when he grows up he wants to have a “lizard
ranch”.
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| A young Spotted Whiptail Lizard about to go into my garden |
While rising summer
temperatures increase, so does the activity of the reptiles outside. My
children run after whiptails and fence lizards during by day and my wife and I
enjoy seeing the geckos consume moths around our porch light at night.
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| This Blind snake does not want his picture taken |
This last week was
the second time I saw a blind snake, while many people here in Tucson keep tame
desert tortoises in their backyard. Reptiles are pretty well adapted to the
Southwest and make our desert landscape much more interesting.
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| The Blind snake showing his head on his way off |
A lizard ranch, indeed. I feel like I already live on one. I use leaf mulch and they make creepy noises as they scuttle across the leaves. Enough to make you think something far larger and more threatening is nearby. And I have plants, such as canna lilies, that can only be classified as "lizard getters."
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the reply! I'll have to tell my son about the canna lilies - perhaps he'll be more into flowers after hearing that they can attract lizards. (=
DeleteI have never seen a blind snake..when I first looked at the picture it looked like a large earth worm.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought that the blind snake was a worm too, but the two times I have seen them at night they were moving fast like a snake and it was hot and dry outside. Some other good indicators are the scales and the fact that I RARELY if ever see worms here in Tucson. Good thing the blind snake is nocturnal as I am sure birds would try to eat it if they got a chance.
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