I have always had a very soft spot for "Penny lizards", and watching them transports me back to the happy days of my childhood. My sister and I used to spend hours observing and catching them at my Grandparents house in Kotara. Happy days indeed.
"Penny lizards" are known by many different common names, many of which seemed to be ridiculously contrived and appear in the literature from the 1990's onward. I will always use the common name "Penny lizard" because it is by far the most apt; they are almost exactly the shade of a old, well-used Australian penny. Without doubt, Penny lizards are the most commonly observed skinks in the lower Hunter valley, and are prolific throughout the region. They are actually two species; Lampropholis guichenoti and Lampropholis delicata. To the layman, they are practically indistinguishable. We are fortunate to have both species at Casa da Ayre.
We returned from our Christmas holidays on Monday, and to my complete delight, there have been hatchling "Penny lizards" seemingly under every piece of ground material, from the hose, to the dog's waterbowl. I was watching the antics of a couple of them in the backyard while I was enjoying my lunch today. Happy days are here again.
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