Rare skinks return to restored conservation lands
NCC has worked with partners since 2013 to restore habitat for the endangered five-lined skink in southwestern Ontario.
Efforts have included repeated shrub and garlic mustard removal from a one-acre (0.4-hectare) area and planting it with native seed.
This spring the our efforts were rewarded when three juvenile skinks were found in the restored area, along with four adults nearby. This observation is particularly exciting because it suggests the skinks are breeding on site or very nearby. Five-lined skinks are the only lizard native to Ontario and the species is only known to inhabit a few locations in southwestern Ontario.