Garden friends

[lilacsigil]

This is Stumpy, a blue tongue lizard (skink) who lives in our garden. Two years ago she lost most of her tail - it looked like it had been partially bitten off, then the rest dried up and fell off - hence her name. Her tail is not as stumpy as it was! She currently looks very pregnant, so hopefully there'll be more blueys soon!

Comments

[china_shop]

Oh wow, how cool! *admires*

[lilacsigil]

There's at least three in the garden, but Stumpy is the one we see the most!

[yhlee]

So cute!!!

I told Joe that I want a pregnant skink.

Joe: "What?!"

Me: "It's so cute and round!"

Joe: "NO, Yoon."

XD

[lilacsigil]

She is very cute! She's got used to me but once I got too close (that camouflage colouring is surprisingly effective!) and she showed me her blue tongue as a threat display. I jumped back as quickly as I could and she seemed highly satisfied with the reaction. Apparently it is even more alarming to birds who can see the UV component of the tongue!

[andraste]

What a great blue tongue. Wow, she is so full of babies! (I had no idea until I Googled it just now that they're ovoviviparous. Or that that was even a thing, really.)

[lilacsigil]

I didn't know they were either until I wondered about how many might live in our garden and looked it up!

[vass]

Oh, wow! Hi Stumpy!

[lilacsigil]

She's a delight, especially when she's not hanging out on the driveway!

[princessofgeeks]

Way cool.

[lilacsigil]

It makes me so happy to see her doing her thing, year after year.

[resolute]

Excellent skink!

[lilacsigil]

She is delightful! There are two others living in the garden but we don't see them as often.

[umadoshi]

Hello, delightful skink!

[lilacsigil]

She would say hello back but she's busy getting warm.

[umadoshi]

She would say hello back but she's busy getting warm.

I approve of her priorities!

[senmut]

Oh I love her!

[lilacsigil]

I love her too!

[pauraque]

An excellent skink!

[lilacsigil]

She is delightful!

[spiralsheep]

So interesting that part of her patterning is bilaterally symmetrical and part isn't. I also like the inconspicuous armour on her head: "Hey predators, bite my ass (not my head)!" I hope she endows your garden with many pest-eating babies (I know nothing of your local ecosystem, obv).

[lilacsigil]

Blue tongues eat baby snakes, but snakes eat baby blue tongues, so the continuing presence of a blue tongue is good news for no snakes! They also eat snails, which is great for the garden.

[spiralsheep]

That's interesting, thank you.

[laurenthemself]

They eat snails?

If we weren't so far apart physically I would be kidnapping a couple of the babies, just saying.

[lilacsigil]

Yes they do! I keep reading about how to encourage lizards in your own garden but unfortunately most of those ways also encourage snakes. But one thing you can do for a more lizard-friendly environment is use the iron-based wildlife safe snail pellets rather than the green/blue ones.

[laurenthemself]

Oh, I don't use pellets at all, just resigned swearing and picking them off the walls to drop them right down the front yard. Which is, if anywhere, where lizards might end up finding them, but also more likely the ducks that occasionally turn up.

[sheliak]

Aww!

[lilacsigil]

She's a lovely skink!

[laurenthemself]

BABY

[lilacsigil]

Soon she will make more BABY!

[mergatrude]

Hi Stumpy! <3

[lilacsigil]

She's out there again today, soaking up some sun.

[hope]

Gorgeous girl!!

[lilacsigil]

She's a delight! Also, nice to see you!