Ah, it is that time of year again. Valentine's Day was this month, spring is coming, the air is crisp, love is in the air, and bellies are turning blue. Yes, that's what I said. Did you know that the bellies of these male lizards here in California turn blue, according to Hastings (1), during breeding season? Don't worry, neither did I. Every morning I try to spend a few minutes relaxing and enjoying nature and what I can of the outdoors. I have a wonderful mango tree in my backyard that is usually a great place to start looking for signs of life as many animals and insects are attracted to it. I realized today that reptiles are just as attracted to it as well, or at least to the insects that are attracted to it. Today I saw a lizard with a blue belly trying to enjoy a feast of little flies that had gathered around the tree. I found it interesting because although I have seen many lizards here in California, I do not ever remember seeing one with a blue belly. I originally thought it had something to do with the fact that this one happened to be eating... some sort of digestive issue was my thinking. I was curious though because I had never seen this before, so I thought I would look it up. I guess in the lizard world, if you want to meet the right females, it isn't about how big your wallet is but how blue you belly is. Here are a few pictures of my model for the day.

(1) Hastings is a Biological Field Station of the University of California, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Natural Reserve System that can be found at: http://www.hastingsreserve.org