We are in the midst of the mating season for the Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus). Over the past few weeks I been seeing them engaged in their courtship behavior. Now I'm using the resulting photos to make a blog post on lizards in love. (When I think the phrase "lizards in love", I think it to the tune of "Lawyers in Love", a once-popular but now forgotten song from my Eighties childhood.)
The first two are from Memorial Day, and the third is from Saturday.
(Click to enlarge.)
(It's also interesting to note that in the second picture the male retains vestiges of the juvenile stripe pattern, which is usually lost in mature males.)
There are places here in Alexandria where skinks are abundant, but I'm the only one who ever seems to notice them. Probably hundreds of people walk by the skinks every day without ever knowing that they're there. But I guess that many things in life are never seen or appreciated by most people.
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