a sand lizard

what is creeping
wearing a beautiful robe
in emerald green

with a quick tongue
the ants must be aware
of the sand lizard

on a sandy soil
threatening the cicadas
among wild shrub


morgentau © dawndew



The Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) is distributed across most of Europe (except the Iberian peninsula, west and south-east France, most of Great Britain, Italy where it is present only in isolated colonies, European Turkey, most of Greece) and eastwards to Mongolia. The Sand Lizard has a light underbelly and a dorsal stripe. Males tend to be darker in colour and turn green during the mating season. The Sand Lizards are extremely rare in Britain; they are mainly restricted to sandy heaths - a habitat suffering serious decline and under threat from human activity.

The Sand Lizard has several sub-species the westernmost of which is called Lacerta agilis agilis. In this and the other main western sub-species (Lacerta agilis argus) the dorsal stripe is thinner and sometimes interrupted – often not present at all, particularly in the latter sub-species which also contains the red-backed phase which has no dorsal markings at all but a plain red to brown dorsum. Females are generally longer than the males. In the sub-species only the flanks of the males turn green in the mating season, unlike the eastern sub-species (particularly Lacerta agilis exigua) in which males can be totally green even outside the breeding season.

Careful habitat management carried out by The Wildlife Trusts on local nature reserves where this creature lives helps it to survive; clearing scrub to allow heaths to flourish is vital if we are to protect our Sand Lizards. The Wildlife Trusts have also been involved with conservation projects to reintroduce the Sand Lizard to its former range. By volunteering for your local Trust you can help our work for this species and you'll make new friends and learn new skills along the way.