Blue tongue

I try to keep a part of the yard around the house in a nature friendly state with  trees, shrubs, sticks, leaves, native grasses. I augmented nature with artificial logs made from old steps and watering points.

There was a winter a couple of years ago when a fat blue tongue lizard Tiliqua scincoides would emerge from the fake log each morning to sun itself. I would be watching out from the bedroom window. After that I noticed a couple of skinny juvenile lizards sneaking around.

A this point in the story I should mention that Jack the neighbours tom cat likes to visit my place. He sneaks around the undergrowth or naps under the hedge. And likes watching the birds.

To encourage the lizards and help them hide from Jack I have made hidey holes from old pallets. But with leaves and sticks and hidey holes I had not seen any blue tongues for a year or more. But I saw a big one rustling leaves under the steps where its shady and cool. Knowing a blue tongue lizard is living here makes me smile.