Lizard watching: Anolis carolinensis

God, I love stormy mornings. The air is so soft and cool, and the dark skies are beautiful. I know it’d be crap to drive in, but sitting at home, gazing outside, it’s lovely.

I was making dinner last night when fosteronfilm called me over to the window with much excitement. I dropped what I was doing to discover we had a gorgeous little green lizard perched on one of the branches right outside the window overlooking our backyard. So I grabbed the camera and started clicking. Isn’t he fantastic?


After the camera-clicking frenzy (and dinner), I Googled him. He’s a Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis. He’s welcome to stick around and make our backyard his home, and so are any of his lizard friends.


I’m not sure if he could see us through the window.


He was an athletic little guy. We saw him jump from one tree to another.


Matthew first noticed him when he was displaying his bright pink dewlap. This was the best picture I could get of him showing it off.


And here’s one of Hobkin, who was supremely uninterested in us oohing and aahing out the window.


Writing Stuff

New Words: 570
On the new short story. I have the horrible feeling that I’m losing control of it already. I’m 2K words into it, and I’ve just now introduced the main, secondary character. Or else this story is slated to be a novelette, and I should just sit back and let it scroll out for as long as it needs to.

Club 100 For Writers
14

500/day
51

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33 Responses to Lizard watching: Anolis carolinensis

  1. horrordiva says:

    Wow, simply gorgeous! You took some incredible pics!!! I like the one where it would seem he could see you…but who know??

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Thanks! I took a slew of blurry, unfocused ones too. Had to turn off the flash or I would’ve gotten glare off the window (and probably freaked out Mr. Lizard), so I had to hold my breath when I pressed down the shutter so my hand wouldn’t shake. I’m really pleased with how many turned out good. I love digital cameras!

  2. dude_the says:

    “Life is like an anole. Sometimes it’s green. Sometimes it’s brown. But it’s always a small South American lizard.”

    Hunh. Guess it’s sometimes North American, too. 😉

  3. terracinque says:

    Amazing photos. You must have a great zoom on your camera.

    How big was the critter?

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Our camera’s a Coolpix. Nothing fancy, but it does have a nice optical zoom. Mr. Lizard was right outside our window, as in an inch away from the glass. If the window hadn’t been there, I could’ve breathed on him!

      How big was the critter?

      From tail to nose tip, I’m thinking he was five or six inches–cute lil guy.

  4. I’ve always secretly wished that I lived somewhere where lizards were part of the animal population. Lucky duck!

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Hee. Thanks! I’m always thrilled whenever we see wildlife in our backyard. On the non-avian front, we seem to get primarily the slow-moving non-mammalian variety–lizards, toads, and the occasional turtle. I’d LOVE to get squirrels and chipmunks.

  5. jmeadows says:

    Wow! Great pictures! What a pretty lizard!

    And Hobkin! *cuddles*

  6. Hobkin so rocks my world.

  7. mtfay says:

    God I hope Candi never notices a lizard. I have enough trouble keeping her from chasing the hummingbirds that hover right in front of her nose, teasing her. 😛

    Of course, in California, any lizard she is likely to find will be a poisonous snake, so that would be bad anyway.

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Once, Hobkin caught a lizard in the house and really freaked me out. It was much smaller than the anole, at least I think it was. It was quite chewed up by the time I managed to get it away from him.

      I know there are hummingbirds in this part of Georgia, but I haven’t seen any in our backyard. I’d love to have hummingbirds!

      • mtfay says:

        We have hummingbirds in the yard just about everyday when the flowers are blooming. They fight with the giant bumblebees over the roses.

        But, right now, Candi is more interested in the cats that wander just outside the fence than the hummingbirds.

        • Eugie Foster says:

          We get the occasional cat too. I think they either jump the fence or squeeze in through the gaps in the gate. I know they’re someone’s pets–they’re all plump and sleek, and usually even have collars. They don’t really stick around. Probably just as well. A cat would wreak havoc on the smaller critters who hang out in our yard.

          • mtfay says:

            I believe it’s quite possible that LA has almost as many feral cats as it has people. There’s about 60 in our neighborhood.

  8. nmsunbear says:

    What an awesome lizard! I want one. 😉

  9. gannet says:

    Wonderful! He’s really beautiful, and you got some great photos.

    I haven’t seen any lizards around our house, but we’ve had a lot of baby preying mantises this spring. There’s something really cute about a menacing preying mantis that’s only an inch long…

    • Eugie Foster says:

      I saw my very first live preying mantis our first spring in this house. He was clinging to the screen in our sunroom. I haven’t seen one since, but I was all glowy afterward. I love living where there’s such lush variety in wildlife.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Oh, goodie, goodie. A Hobkin pic! Warm fuzzies happening!

    What a handsome lizard. Our lizards are cute, but a very bland gray with a few yellow stripes. They also don’t have the nifty come-hither dewlap thing. My guess is Mr. Anole was either telling another male to get lost or trying to get some lovin’.

    Pat Kirby

    • Eugie Foster says:

      I hope he was doing a hot-and-horny lizard display and that his theoretical courtship efforts were successful. I’d love to have a bunch of baby green anoles in our backyard!

  11. WOW!!!

    Beautiful lizard.

    He looks like a Gecko, don’t you think? I wish we have pretty lizard like yours here. They’re so unusual.

  12. dionycheaus says:

    I know from my friend that had some as a child that anoles (the little ones we had here, at least, and I don’t know if bigger ones are the same) are very social lizards. you know, for lizards, being cold-blooded and burying their young in the sand and walking away and all. apparently they go into depressed suicide state if they don;t have other lizards around to chill with. so I’d think it’s a safe bet your mr. anole has friends in the garden.

    • Eugie Foster says:

      Oh, I hope so! I keep peering out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of him or one of this friends preening on the nearby branches. So far, no luck, but it would be so cool if Mr. Lizard met a nice Mrs. Lizard and they had a slew of little baby anoles. *squee*

  13. keesa_renee says:

    Meep! I thought I posted a comment here last night, but now I don’t see it. Grrr.

    Anyway–lovely lizard! I never knew their names, but we have oodles of them in the greenhouses. They’re such friendly, curious little things! They’ll just sit there and watch you, until you get within a foot or two of them, then they’ll scamper off. Mamma works in the greenhouse so often that they’re used to her, and she can set something down on the shelf six inches from where they’re sitting, and they’ll never move. They’re such a lot of fun to watch!

    “I’m not sure if he could see us through the window.”

    I’ll bet he could. 😀 Knowing those little critters, he was probably as excited and interested at seeing you as you were at seeing him…maybe he was wishing he hadn’t left his tiny digital camera at home. 😉

    • Eugie Foster says:

      maybe he was wishing he hadn’t left his tiny digital camera at home.

      *Squee!* That comment made me giggle! The thought of little Mr. Lizard taking pictures of us as we snapped glamour shots of him. Oh, that’s too adorable. Thanks for that wonderful imagery, Keesa!

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