A lizard encounter and lesson learned

 The weather is holding steady with stiff breezes and clear skies. The breeze is much cooler which makes for a very pleasant day all around.

 So ... (that's how I always start my sentences when it's not straight up good) went out and watered around 4 in the evening yesterday. I think that's going to be a better time to do it but the soil around the potatoes and the north bed was almost bone dry again today at noon. Just can't win, I need some mulch.

Anyway I went out to water and check on things, noticed two 'gopher' size holes I have pointed out previously and proceeded to flush them out. It will be the last time I do that because I ended up flushing out a young female Fence Lizard! She may have just been taking advantage of the open hole because there wasn't a lot of dirt pushed out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I feel so bad about doing that! I hope she survived the night, I tried to warm her in my hands and against my stomach but couldn't take her home and do it due to cat and no heat lamp.

She was cold of course, so very docile not trying to escape at all and likely swallowed water. I honestly feel so bad that she may have been laying eggs in the hole because she was kind of chubby in the middle. I'm naming her Eliza the Lizard... because she Do be a Little lizard. Do I feel remorse about the gopher? Not a bit because they cause damage, where the lizard is a helpful critter that eats bug and spiders.

Today I went to water around noon and the holes were covered up so it's not likely she's in there. Possibly scooted off to the woodpile or under the jade plant, I hope a random cat didn't get her. The amount of dirt and size of hole could be juvenile gophers as well because there was another larger pile of dirt near the corner.

I grew up surrounded by canyon and wild hills and so we were taught to respect nature and how to recognize snakes and lizards and how to deal with rattlesnakes. So I have no fear of snakes, frogs, lizards or other reptiles. The markings on a lot of reptiles are absolutely beautiful and I noticed there was a little bit of blue shading on her back and it was more evident on the sides of her throat but not on the belly which is why I researched to know she's a juvenile not in full color yet.
 

Two of the three transplants are doing fine, the one on the right is still a bit wilted. In the other bed the smaller one near the trowel is also wilted. I watered both really well last night and will water again tonight. You can see in the south bed the soil is still dark, the other one is also but you couldn't tell and it is more exposed so it is drier. Not thinking that smaller one is going to make it. Did I mention I need mulch?

The two lettuces in the potato bed didn't survive me tossing them around when I cultivated, oh well. They weren't doing so well anyhow and it's no loss really, the others are doing fine.

 

 

 

 

 Look how lush the weeds are! Sigh.

I finally got a picture of the onion flowers in the neighbor bed, they're a bit stunted it looks like having been almost dug up by the gopher and just left to survive falling over.

I was able to go back and take pictures of the variety of plants in what I call the 'tropical' planter between two apartments. 

Lovely little miniature rose in a pot, and to the left of it in front of the AC unit... a tomato. I don't know what kind but that is going to be a big problem right there. Just going to keep an eye on that tomato to see how it does in partial shade and in front of the AC.

Hard to see due to the glare ( tried to adjust the levels) but there is a very healthy and lush patch of mint in the bottom picture. It's all been thinned out from a year ago but I'm sure it will all thrive again. 

Oh and the hawks are calling almost constantly now up in the nest, the crows try and attack them whenever they go forage so it's an interesting situation. You can just barely tell there's two heads, maybe three bodies up in the nest from this angle.

 

Money is tight all the time now so as much as I want to get more plants or seeds, unless they're free, it's not going to happen. Making do with what I have, blah blah blah.