I still see green lizards in my backyard. There are also brown lizards but they don't look like the one in that picture.
Mine are brown. They like rock gardens and boxwood bushes apparently as that is what I have around my pool. They like to lounge out around the pool as well. Sometimes, they go for a swim and end up dead in my skimmer basket. I think they also have decent sized turds. I don't understand what happens to lizards in the winter time and where they come from every year? I guess they hibernate. I was once cleaning up an old caked up pile of leaves under some bushes in the winter time and damn if I didn't rake out this big brown lizard that appeared to be in winter chill mode. It freaked me out a little. But, the title of this thread...I thought it was talking about a dessert that didn't sound particularly appealing based on the color.
The brown ones are everywhere, but on the plus side the bug population in my yard is way down. If we are lamenting lost wildlife, what ever happened to fireflies? I saw some in Ft. Worth last weekend and it was magical. Maybe the Cuban brown a-holes ate them.
Yep, we have fireflies, and we still have the green lizards too. Dallasites are the invasive species we have to worry about.
My wife and I were talking about this recently. We got married almost 4 years ago. She lived in Cypress and I lived in Clear Lake area. She thought that the brown lizards were just a weird, localized anomaly here in Clear Lake area, but I think they were just starting to take over when we got married. Probably all over the place in Cypress now too. They are fast as hell, but it does make it fun to watch my dog chase them.
There was a green lizard running around a group of plants on my back porch. I would see it just about every morning when I sat out there drinking my coffee. Yesterday when I was watering my plants I noticed it was sitting on the seat of a chair but it looked a little different like it may have lost some weight. Poor thing...it seemed so happy before...
Yep, I live in Cypress and my yard is over run by then. Honestly don't care because they've taken care of any bug problems. Ive never seen them be aggressive because they scamper into the bushes as soon as they see me I still have some green anole lizards, but a lot fewer than before
Speaking of Cypress, I used to see a bunch of green tree frogs all the time when I was younger. I caught a few and kept them as pets. I have not seen any in years. Are they still out there? I used to see hummingbirds, too.
No, I haven't seen any tree frogs. Ive seen hummingbirds but not many. I see a lot other things though, especially snakes. I've seen a few Water Moccasins/Cottonmouths and Copperheads. Freaks the **** out of me, really gotta pay attention where you step
You can eat 'em... Brown Anoles “Did you clean them” I asked a friend who might want to remain anonymous. “No” he said. “You cooked them whole?” “Yes.” “You ate them head, tail and all?” I asked. “Yeph.” “What did they taste like?” “Bacon.” Wow, I thought. That might be the to solution to the Cuban anole invasion: Eat them. Deep Fried Brown Anoles The Cuban Anole or Brown Anole, came to the United States via Key West around 1900. Now they are all over the place, in some locales up to 2,000 per acre. They are little bullies driving out the native Green Anole. To add to the confusion the Green Anole prefers to be green but can turn brown on occasion whereas the Cuban/Brown Anole is always brown, never green. The Cubans (Anolis sagrei) are slightly more dragonesque in appearance. Mature males usually sport a crest-like ridge running down the back whereas the natives greenies are slim and fine bone especially in the head. Further, the Brown Anole can voluntarily drop off its tail as a defense mechanism. It will partially grow back. While the Brown Anole is crowding out the Green Anole some think the Green Anole is responding to the pressure by moving higher up in plants and trees leaving the Brown Anole to inhabit lower plant areas and the ground. Green Anoles like foliage where as the Brown likes to run along the ground. Most of us have seen the Cuban Anole strutting his stuff, doing pushup and waving his throat dewlap, a bright pink to orange fold of skin. It’s to tell other fellows to stay away, this rake handle is my territory. And, if a lizard lass is looking for a mate he is saying, “I’m king on rake mountain.” Actually lizards are the intellectuals of the reptile world, and anoles have different things to say. Their push ups and dewlap waves are not random. Among their messages are: Three head bobs, two dewlap waves, head up, then a series of small bobs. Another is one large bob, done slowly, a pause, two dewlap waves, then raise the head and do a series of small head bobs. Anole Morse Code. We may not know what it means, but they seem to understand quite well, and have for about 100 million years. Green Anoles are becoming rare, don’t eat them Anoles usually eat insects, and only live insects. The insect has to move for the anole to be interested in it… kind of like a dog chasing a car… Their native diet consists mainly of small arthropods, annelids, and mollusks. Cannibalistic, they are also short lived, 18 months on average, 36 occasionally. They are sexually active their second year. If you see a male displaying he will probably be dead that following winter season. Usually a male will keep two lady lizards happy and each will lay one or two egg a week, alternating ovaries. Anoles can grow to eight inches though five is about as big as they get locally (one advantage of occasional frost perhaps.) They are found in warm areas of North America up to about the latitude of central Georgia, Central America, South America, and in Hawaii. Whether they are in Taiwan and Guam is a bit of a debate. Usual weight is six to eight grams (males) or four to an ounce. Females half that. They do not make good pets and when capturing them they will bite but they can only hang on and it does not hurt. In fact, kids in Florida often catch them and let them latch onto their earlobes and wear them as living earrings. However, as all reptiles can carry salmonella, wash your hands and ear lobs after handling. Clearly they are not to be eaten raw. You can capture them by hand (particularly after dark) or take them from your cat. As for cooking, you can freeze them first or drop them in hot oil, and or both. Add a little pepper and bon appetit. *************** A new lizard in town – Cuban brown anole and its effect on our native species You’ve probably noticed the bright lime colored lizards scurrying along fence tops or basking in the sun on tree branches. These are our native species of anole lizards, called green anoles. You have probably also noticed the brown anoles with a diamond pattern and a ridge on their back. These are the Cuban brown anoles, an invasive species that first entered the United States a century ago. In the last 30 years, the Cuban anole population has spread from Florida and the Keys to Texas and Louisiana. A change in our native green anole Green anole Since the encroachment of the Cuban brown anole, studies have shown that our native green anole has begun to show some morphological and behavioral changes. What scientists have found, and what you can probably witness at home, is that the green anole is now choosing to live higher off the ground and they have developed larger toe pads. Interesting fact: green anoles can change their color from green to dark brown. They can be differenciated between the Cuban brown anole because they do not have the ridge or diamond pattern along their backs. Why is our native green anole experiencing these changes? The green anole and the Cuban brown anole both occupy the same niche, or place in the ecosystem. This means that they both live on the ground and in low lying branches, and eat the same food, insects. But the brown anoles tend to out-compete green anoles on the ground and lower boles of trees. They have even been described as being more aggressive than the native green anole. Instead of toughening up, the green anoles who used to occupy these lower spaces are now more commonly found feeding in higher, flimsier branches and leaves. This is considered a shift in behavior due to resource partitioning. In a short period of time, green anoles have evolved larger toe pads to help cling to these more precarious branches and twigs. What can you do to help the green anole? As one of our conservation staff members, Chris Garza, pointed out, the Cuban brown anole is edible! Chris even shared a recipe he found: Cuban brown anole recipe If you’re looking for a more realistic approach, you can always look to your garden and make sure you have proper green anole habitat. Since the green anole is now living higher off the ground, providing some higher levels in your garden for them to perch might give them more habitat. They can be seen in hanging pots, on fences, and in shrubs and trees. Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Yep there is a world wide decline in insect populations. It's been nice because I'm not inhaling so many bugs while biking or kayaking and not cleaning so many bugs off the windshield but there are some potentially severe ecological concerns.
Every time I see this thread title in the thread listings I immediately think it is p*rnography-related until I quickly remember it is about those little ****ing lizards that sprint everywhere each time I stroll into my backyard
Omg. Good timing on this thread but these things are EVERYWHERE. I get startled when I seen them in the garage. How do I get rid of them? I want a few of those green ones back.
