Week of June 9

One thing that the Florida Home has that Upstate New York does not have are LIZARDS.  Our Florida garden has had many reptiles, including several kinds of snakes, a box turtle, and a cooter turtle or two looking for a place to lay eggs.  We also have had a beautiful skink, a larger lizard hanging out near our kayaks.  But the everyday amusement are the anole lizards, both the Florida anole and the larger, darker Cuban anole.  One pair guard our lanai door and cling to the screen while they catch bugs in the herb pots.  Another inhabited a chair in the lanai.  Last year, we named him “Stumpey” since his tail was chopped off.  We think he was back this year in the same chair with his tail regrown!  They are everywhere in the yard, turning green or brown to blend in with the background.  If they get into the lanai, I need to evict them.  They are hard to catch and protest when apprehended.  They are fun to watch, with the male’s throat pouch expanded while courting.  The grands like to watch them too, but are not so successful as PopPop in catching them.