Western Fence LIzard

The Western fence Lizard has a blue belly, but it's a rare sight as who ever gets to see a lizard's belly? There are hundreds of them in our garden as they love all the rock and crevices and the heat. They're great little dragons to have out there because they eat all kinds of insects. I love to see them doing pushups on top of the rocks.
Various thoughts about why they do this include:
   1. Territoriality and competition
   2. Mating displays
   3.Temperature regulation
We've seen them doing what could be any or all of these things when we sit and watch them at this time of year.

I have participated in a great many protests in my life and I think it is clear that the 'riots' in Los Angeles are a direct result of Trump's efforts to incite violence by sending the Marines into what was a peaceful protest against use of ICE agents to carry out arrests without judicial warrants and and detain immigrant families in the basements of federal buildings, not to 'liberate Los Angeles from a migrant invasion.' The clashes unfolded over just a few square blocks of an immense city of 4 million people, most of whom went about doing their business on peaceful streets.

Here are a few quotes on the situation:

"If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't. then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS &LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!"
--President Donald Trump

"Trump wants chaos and he's instituted violence, " said California Governor Gavin Newsom, calling it a "serious breach of state sovereignty."

"We don't take lightly to the president abusing his authority and unlawfully mobilizingCalifornia National Guard troops."
--Rob Bonta,California Attorney General

Newsom has repeatedly said that the California authorities had the situation under control. He mocked Trump for posting a congratulatory message to the Guard before troops had even arrived in Los Angeles.

It looks like more performative actions to try to connect the greater allocations for border control in the 'Big Beautiful Bill' with perceived violence. He's using a flame thrower to put out a fire.