IT TOOK until the middle of the month for summer to make a genuine appearance, gracing us with a few warm sunny days.

This was good news for lizards. Like snakes, the little reptiles need sunshine in which to bask and become active.

Lizards are very secretive and rarely seen so we may not even be aware that they are around.

However, if we sit quietly on some heathland, grassland or scrub with adequate bramble cover, we may be rewarded firstly by a rustle in the undergrowth then, perhaps, the appearance of the common lizard (pictured) as it hunts grasshoppers and assorted insects.

Lizards hibernate and emerge in early spring if the weather is favourable. They tend to sunbathe on a bare patch of earth or log to absorb heat and the hotter the better.

Common lizards mate in April and from five to eight young are born fully formed, each in a flimsy sack that splits as they emerge.

Frequently Lizards are often attacked by predators such as kestrels and rats but the reptiles can break off their tails which continue to twitch, thus allowing them to escape.

Over time a new tail grows but never as splendid as the original.

In parts of Surrey another lizard, the handsome and larger bright green brown spotted sand lizard lives.

Unlike the common lizard, the female sand lizard digs a hole in soft earth into which she lays a batch of eggs that hatch in late summer.