When I go outside, I usually see a bunch of anoles scurrying away from me in an attempt to hide under the bushes. I assume they are out feeding on insects or something like that. Whatever they’re doing, I know there are a handful of them and they like to hide.
The funny thing is (and Laura noticed this early on), is that while they like to hide, they only do for a short period of time. If you walk after them and quietly approach them, you can get very close. Sometimes up to just a few inches away. This is what happened to me when I went outside today to check on my tomato plants.
There’s always an anole in the back yard. You can count on that. It’s a fairly large one and I think he lives in a bush next to the orange tree. He’s got stripes on his back and runs through the grass as if he’s an indy car. Bobbing and weaving the whole way through.
There’s also what I think may be his little brother. While not as large, this anole prefers to put more of a show on for us. He runs through the grass and then prefers to jump and climb on trees. It’s fun to watch.
In today’s visit to the back yard, both anoles were out there doing their thing. Luckily, I had a camera with me and I was able to catch their shenanigans. And it’s a good thing I did, because someone just might not believe me.
Goodness gracious – they look like little iguanas! We have some dark ones and some with stripes and some creepy ones called skinks, but most of ours are a Kelly green who show off a red shiny translucent “dewlap”. (It doesn’t look like a strawberry, like yours does. Yours are very very fancy).
I used to have some anoles as pets when I was a kid. Mine could change from brown to green depending on the temperature and how excited they were. Also, at least for the kind I had, white dashes or a stripe down the back means it’s a female.
These anoles turn green as well. I rarely see them green though because they’re usually against something brown. But every so often they look like completely different animals.
Those are some great pictures you took Jay. Thanks for posting. I hope you’re enjoying the new place
Sure am buddy. Good to hear from you.