This last anole almost completely escaped my attention. Well camouflaged and all snugged up tight against the pole to the left of the butterfly, he seems to be waiting for a little privacy to make his move.
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Wholly Anole
Because it is past the halfway mark for August...
Because others have already blogged about the few things that are in bloom for us this time of year...
And because I didn't even have to go back for a few weeks to cull out the best shots...
I only had to go outside with my camera and pay attention this morning.
This guy was out sipping up what remains of water droplets from last night's watering.
Anoles are everywhere these days and nobody could ask for a more appealing companion in the garden.
This last anole almost completely escaped my attention. Well camouflaged and all snugged up tight against the pole to the left of the butterfly, he seems to be waiting for a little privacy to make his move.
Or maybe it is just too hot to do anything more than look. Here's to the winding down of August and to the easing off of Summer's worst heat. Home stretch, people!
This last anole almost completely escaped my attention. Well camouflaged and all snugged up tight against the pole to the left of the butterfly, he seems to be waiting for a little privacy to make his move.
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13 comments:
Check out his side-long glance at the unwary butterfly--he's just waiting for the right moment! When my coral vine used-to-be, there was an anole (several, I assume, over the course of a few summers), who would come out of the verge and hunt honeybees, as they were all over the coral vine blooms. I love these shots! They are the most companionable little things, aren't they??
Magnificent greens. I love these photos. I have never seen an anole sipping water before -- that is an amazing capture. And that butterfly with that branch and those leaves -- so beautiful.
I also meant to say--fab title!
Tina: Mr. Sidelong Glance is what started my most recent anole moment. I hadn't noticed him at all until after I'd finished my first edit of the photo - for the butterfly. Of course once I noticed him I couldn't un-notice and couldn't believe I'd been staring right past him for so long.
The anoles seem not to feel particularly threatened by our presence. They think our cats in the window are great fun to prance around in front of. The ones I garden around regularly - including a cast of several tucked away just in the coral vine "verge" (oh I do love specific terms in proper use!) - barely scramble out of reach and only when my hand comes close.
Ha! I knew there were other punsters out there... Thank you!
Debra: The Hub hand waters those plumeria plants (his, the plethora of potted ones) and I've been hitting the feral mint in one bed with extra water because it blooms in the heat of August and all the pollinators get happy-happy visiting those tiny flowers. So both plants are Green at the moment. And I was out in the shade because....August!
I've never seen anoles sipping anything before. It took me dozens of photos to get even these slightly blurry sipping shots. I kept thinking the anole was going to hustle off and I barely got past "gol-lee" stage at what I was seeing. It was all I could do not to squeal, seriously.
You couldn't have gotten better pictures! Handsome guys (or gals), all of them.
Very good detail, again. May August wind down...yes! Your anole reminds me of the first ones I saw (and the only ones) when our father was stationed in Alabama - they always hung out around the AC unit - maybe it was cool and there was condensation? (I tried keeping one inside as a pet in a terrarium, but no dice)
Kris: Thank you. All the anoles with the red throat displays I consider male. The rest, females if they act a bit shy and/or are smaller. Which is entirely arbitrary by the way, and definitely not accurate. (index finger to sky) Pretend or not, order must be maintained!
DHB: When I was growing up here in Austin we had a swamp cooler in a house we leased one summer while our house was getting a new addition. The back right corner of the unit was anole central. I had names for some of them and was guilty of breaking off several of their tails trying to capture them via a tail grab because I thought they'd make a cute pet.
That'd been a good story to put in the post, huh? I'm getting lazy in this heat.
Home stretch -- yaaaaayyyyy! I was noticing this morning that the light seemed different, or maybe it was just psychological, it being the first day of school and all. I'm finally seeing anoles in my garden, after 7 years. I had tons in my former garden, but when I moved to my current place, all I ever saw were the spiny tree lizards, and they're very shy. I'm so happy to see the bold anoles these days.
Pam: I find anoles are better company if only because they stick around and seem to like to watch...well...everything. There are days, and a lot of them lately, where that is about all I feel up to out in the garden. Just watching. But I agree with you - there is a subtle shift in the quality of the light the past couple of weeks and it is a harbinger of kinder days to come, I'm convinced.
Here's to cooler times!
Great pictures! You're so lucky to have these critters in your garden. Yes! August is almost over. We always look to Fall with the final weekend of August each year with the local Hotter 'n Hell Hundred bicycle ride/race, which will be this Thursday thru Sunday. Each year, once that slips by, we know cooler temps are around the corner. Can't wait...
Anna: Sounds like a fun way to welcome the cooler weather to come. And I agree - I feel very fortunate to be surrounded with lots of these sweet little lizards to keep me company outside. It always makes my day a little sweeter, whenever I see them.
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