If you live in California, you’ve probably seen, or held, a western fence lizard. According to a leading dataset of animal and plant observations, the species is the most commonly spotted reptile in ...

DEAR JOAN: From time to time, we have found a Western fence lizard in our garage, but the one we found in late fall last year was very lethargic. Over the weeks, he would be found in various locations ...

Before the fence, there was the lizard. From tree stumps and rocks, the spiny reptiles basked and watched as wooden fences subdivided the landscape. At some point, one climbed a post and became known ...