Tracy Menzies had been at war with slugs in her backyard garden as they've always managed to beat her to the harvest, but not this year. The strawberries in her garden this season turned out to be "absolutely beautiful.

Hanke said the population explosion in B.C. originated from an intentional release of 12 lizards in 1970 after a roadside zoo, Rudy’s Pet Park, in Central Saanich closed following the death of its owner. Southern Vancouver Island’s cooler winters mixed with its hot, dry summers make these lizards from Italy feel at home.