I Always Feel Like Somebody's Watchin' Me

Every morning I head out to the backyard and water the potted plants and my bonsai. Well, I fill up the 5L watering can and start on the hosta. POP! Out jump two green anoles (Anolis carolinensis). One ran for cover, the other stopped and grabbed a quick drink and decided that the hosta wasn't too dangerous after all. I reached for my camera and snapped a quick shot or two. I believe this one to be a female as she is a bit smaller and has the characteristics of a female—a slightly shorter nose and a pale grey dorsal stripe. I have to wonder what she was annoyed by because they supposedly turn brown when stressed. The other was a bright green, but was gone before I could get a snapshot. Maybe there's a family in there, because I've seen baby anoles around the hosta. I'll get a picture of them at some point if I can.

Learn more about green anoles at the Wild Texas website.

Anole Siting!

The other day I went out into our backyard and lo and behold, I saw a green anole sunning himself on one of my bonsai. I used to see anoles all the time when I was a kid growing up, but since owning my own house (just over 10 years now), Amy and I have only seen geckos. (No, not the Geico Gecko, which silly enough is a green anole.) I guess I've seen a few anoles here and there, however, none in or around my yard. But that's changed.

The next day, I found him near the pond doing his mating dance, extending his dewlap and doing his pushups. I didn't actually see a female anywhere...maybe he's practicing.