Thirty-Two Lizards in a Pitcher or a Pot

Mother often gave us an empty pitcher for things.  We used it for collecting rocks or fossils.  Sometimes it was used for small bait fish or worms for trout fishing.  But one day, I cannot say how we had such great fortune, but a nest of blue bellied fence lizards must have hatched!  They were everywhere and we just had to go after them!  We asked for the pitcher and mother, without questioning, granted our wish.  She was on the phone and eager to be rid of us for a little while.  We ran outside with the pitcher and began running after the little buggers, careful not to harm them lest they lose their tails.  One after the other, we dropped them inside the large putty colored tupperware and snapped the lid down before they could scramble out!  Before long, there was a great ball of blue bellies clinging together in the bottom of the pitcher.  “Count tails”, said Lin.  “How many do we have?”  Dan said, “More than thirty, thirty-two exactly!”  I couldn’t believe our luck!  Thirty-two lizards holding hands in the bottom of a pitcher.  We could race them!  We could feed them.  Oh I had elaborate plans.

We set the pitcher on the counter and went to get the hot wheels tracks.  Mother hung up the phone, set a glass on the counter, opened the lid and began to pour with hardly a glance.  Never have I heard such a blood curdling scream.  Mother had poured our lizards out of the pitcher.  How could she!  Upon sensing their freedom they skittered over counters, up curtains, under cabinets.  They were everywhere!  I was delighted to see the kitchen decorated with blue bellies!  My mother was horrified and surprised beyond measure.  It is a terribly good thing we counted them.

I have seen no blue bellies lately, but we have five lined skinks with beautiful blue tails that live under our porch.  I see them hanging on the brickwork sunning themselves, and it makes me smile.  We had a beautiful red hibiscus in a large wheeled pot.  It attracted hummingbirds all summer.  It lasted three years and then died.  The pot remained empty on the porch, and eventually the skinks moved in and built their nests inside.  They were not discovered until this summer when I bought a new hibiscus and wanted to plant it in the large pot.  When I saw the parents guarding their eggs, we quickly covered the nest and left the pot undisturbed.  One cannot imagine my joy and excitement when I saw the first teeny skink racing around the inside of that empty pot with no hope of escape!  We built a little "bridge" for the skinks to escape the pot so the cowbirds that attack the reflective material on our windows will not eat them.  It is so tempting to catch one and tell my daughter I don't mind if she brings them in the kitchen for a short visit.  But then again, they are so fragile and beautiful.  I think there are at least thirty-two of them.