After spotting a Common Lizard last week we returned to the same area of the New Forest. We spotted another 3 today – one a female was heavily pregnant – as I said in last week’s post Common Lizard is unusual among reptiles as it incubates its eggs inside its body and ‘gives birth’ to live young rather than laying eggs. Adults emerge from hibernation in spring, mating in April and May, and producing three to eleven young in July.

After warming their bodies by basking in the sun Common Lizards feed on small invertebrates such as flies, spiders and snails. They hunt during the day using sight and scent.

Further to my previous post which included Raft Spiders I revisited the New Forest stream where we found several of these interesting arachnids. We found 7 Raft Spiders today including a juvenile spider and a female with an egg sac.

Raft Spiders will carry their egg sac around for some time before creating a nursery web for their spiderlings. (Last time we found a nursery web.)

These large spiders will sit at the edge of the water, or on floating vegetation, with their front legs resting on the water’s surface in order to feel for the vibrations of potential prey, they chase out onto the water to catch their prey, ranging from tadpoles or small fish. They will also swim underwater.

Below. Adult female with egg sac.

Below. nursery web with tiny spiderlings.

Below. Juvenile Raft Spider is now independent of the nursery web.

Common Lizards are found in many UK habitats, including heathland, moorland, woodland and grassland, they like basking in the sun. The common lizard is also known as the Viviparous lizard. They are unusual among reptiles as they incubate their eggs inside their body and ‘gives birth’ to live young rather than laying eggs.

We spotted this Lizard in the New Forest enjoying the sun on a fallen branch which spanned a small stream.

The Gerridae are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera, commonly known as water striders, water skeeters, water scooters, water bugs, pond skaters, water skippers, water skimmers or puddle flies. Since childhood, I have called them water skimmers.