11 September β 24 November
the coastal calendar, shifted 10 days later for this region
Shaded dry-stone walls and leaf litter, not open rock; prefers damp, north-facing corners.
A Balkan endemic, and the male's orange-blue breeding colour in April is as strong as anything in the European herpetofauna. Two small clutches a year, both hidden deep in a wall β which is why old dry-stone walls matter more here than any reserve boundary.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| wintering in cover | 25 November β 1 March | 97 days | Reptile dormancy β sluggish rather than truly asleep, and broken by warm spells. |
| going about the year | 2 March β 10 April | 40 days | Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out. |
| courting | 11 April β 10 May | 30 days | Song, display, fighting, scent-marking β pairs forming or reaffirming. |
| on eggs | 11 May β 10 July | 61 days | Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun. |
| raising young | 11 July β 10 September | 62 days | Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed. |
| young dispersing | 11 September β 24 November | 75 days | Young leaving for good, looking for a territory of their own. |