European green lizard

Lacerta viridis Today, 3 October
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
now young dispersing 16 days
young dispersing Reptile here all year

The whole year

20 September – 19 October

the coastal calendar, shifted 10 days later for this region

Sitting the year outGetting readyYoung aboutYoung leaving

Where to look

Sunny forest edges, vineyard margins and railway banks inland; the blue throat is the male in spring.

Worth knowing

The blue throat appears for about six weeks in spring and fades afterwards, so the same animal looks like two different lizards in April and August. One clutch a year inland, unlike the coastal species.

Look it up

photos, sightings and recordings, off this site

Regions

where this species is on the list

Phase by phase

dates as they fall in the region chosen above
PhaseWhen LengthWhat it means
wintering in cover 20 October – 29 March 161 days Reptile dormancy β€” sluggish rather than truly asleep, and broken by warm spells.
going about the year 30 March – 4 May 36 days Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out.
courting 5 May – 3 June 30 days Song, display, fighting, scent-marking β€” pairs forming or reaffirming.
on eggs 4 June – 14 August 72 days Clutch laid and being incubated, or buried and left to the sun.
raising young 15 August – 19 September 36 days Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed.
young dispersing 20 September – 19 October 30 days Young leaving for good, looking for a territory of their own.

Other reptiles in this region

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