Don has received lots of interesting letters and emails from viewers. Some people write seeking information, others simply want to let us know what's going on at their place. A year's free subscription to Burke's Backyard Magazine goes to Greg Long, from Cronulla in NSW, for the best email of the week. Congratulations Greg!

Blue-tongue lizards

Greg Long emailed Don to ask why the blue-tongue lizards living in his yard have deformities, such as missing limbs. He wondered if this was common amongst blue-tongues, or if it was caused by spraying chemicals in the garden. Don said that he didn't think garden chemicals would cause the missing limbs. Many blue-tongues are attacked by dogs and cats, as well as large predatory birds such as kookaburras. The males also fight aggressively during the mating season (September - November). Mating may be rough, with males leaving tooth marks on females and even biting limbs off with their strong jaws.

There are six species of blue-tongue lizards (Tiliqua sp.) in Australia (the ones in Greg's garden are probably Eastern Blue-tongues). These large members of the skink family are hardy and adaptable. They have long bodies, large heads, blue tongues, short legs and short tapering tails. Although females are slightly bigger than males, the males generally have bigger heads!

Blue-tongue lizards are great urban survivors. They can often be seen in gardens basking in the sun or foraging for food. They catch slow-moving prey such as snails, slugs and caterpillars, and have strong jaw muscles which enable them to crush the snail shells.

Blue-tongue tips Don't use snail baits if blue-tongues are living in your garden. If a blue-tongue eats snails and slugs that have been poisoned by baits, the blue-tongue will also be poisoned. Keep cats and dogs under control. Young blue-tongues especially are often killed or injured by domestic pets. Blue-tongues love basking in warm, sunny spots in the garden. Keep an eye out for them when mowing long grass, and when entering or exiting your driveway. At first glance you might mistake a blue-tongue for a snake, but take another look and you'll notice the legs. If you see either a blue-tongue lizard or a snake, it's best to leave it alone.

Gate latch

Don loved this simple but smart idea from Maree Millington in Victoria. For years, Maree used a rock to prop open the side gate, then a friend suggested buying another D-pattern gate latch (about $9 from hardware stores) and fitting it to the brick wall. The end result is that she can now lock the gate open or lock the gate closed!

Tillandsias

Laurie Mountford of Ballina in NSW wrote a letter saying that hot glue guns should not be used when working with tillandsias, because the hot glue kills the plants. Laurie's letter referred to a Sun Herald article that described how to make a Christmas wreath from tillandsias. Don also used a hot glue gun when he was making an artwork with tillandsias (Tillandsia tricolor) on Burke's Backyard in May last year.

The key to using hot glue with tillandsias is to only use a few drops, and wait a few seconds before pressing the plant into the glue. Don said that even though the immediate tissue adjoining the glue might suffer a bit of damage, most tillandsias soon produce aerial roots and grow perfectly well.

This is a common technique and millions of tillandsias are handled this way around the world. In fact, the tillandsias in Don's artwork are still growing and flowering almost a year after they were hot-glued to the backing board. So use a hot glue gun, or try Selleys Gel Grip ($9 for 200gm, from hardware and paint stores), a non-toxic contact adhesive used by some people who handle bromeliads.

Copyright CTC Productions 2004