At this time of the year I am especially alert to potentially lethal spiders that lurk in our gardens and right now are running about a bit earlier than usual looking for mates. Over the last week I have been digging trenches for new plumbing and have found a handful of their tunnels so am extra careful in the garden. But you can’t relax inside either, just in case they decide to hide in a shoe or similar. At the other extreme is this placid and very clearly non agitated gecko which tolerated me swinging a shovel past his head for five minutes before I noticed he was there. Hanging on a vertical brick wall (I have flipped the photo) he was nicely blended into the dappled sunlight, taking on the reddish tone of the brick – they are normally a darker shade of brown. In the middle of town it is nice to have your own zoo – or in this case a menagerie, for the placid nature of this little beast is more in keeping with the meaning of that word.
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