Wednesday 18 Februrary 2026

[Man From Ironbark]

It is really Thursday here but still Wednesday tthere.

Here's a couple of treatments of the same image.

[Dave]

Beautiful sky.

How is the lady from Ironbark doing?

Here's a shot of a Western Fence Lizard, taken last Saturday...

   

There are 5 subspecies and the coloring varies quite a bit, but I think all males have vivid royal blue on their throats and bellies, although that's not very visible in the photo.. They can be up to 8.3 (21 centimeters) inches snout to tail, and the tail makes up more than half their length. Coloring other than the blue belly ranges from brown to black, and they can change this as part of thermoregulation.

They are interesting creatures:
1) Fence lizards can detach their tails when threatened - I've witnessed this myself. The detached tail writhes and twists to distract would-be predators, and soon a new tail is grown.
2) And they have another unique ability: the tick that causes Lyme disease regularly feeds on the lizard's blood, which contains a protein that kills the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Consequently, cases of Lyme disease are rarer in areas where these lizards live.
3) Fence lizards have adapted very well to the loss of their natural habitat by thriving in suburban areas.

[Man From Ironbark]

^ Before there were fences, these lizards did the same thing on rocks and tree branches.