Basking
Up in the seasonal Burrowing Owl preserve, on the rip-rap on the north side, this Western Fence Lizard came out to bask in the afternoon sun.
Although I towered above it, the little creature showed no concern for my presence. It saw me, but nothing in its genetic memory bank identified me as a predator, and so it ignored me.
As I’ve noted here previously, these lizards have a potentially beneficial role to play in the prevention of Lyme disease spread by ticks, but so far no Pharma corporation has looked into it. Probably just as well for the survival of the lizards, if not of Lyme disease sufferers.
