| April 28, 2020. Over the course of the four years we've lived in our new Texas home, the anole lizard population has exploded. The first year, we were delighted with the occasional sightings of our green garden friends. By now, it's hard to walk through the backyard without spotting a few – and we're still happy to see them. Even though our puppy has recently taken to hunting them down and attempting to eat them, her actions have hardly dented the lizard population. And they're intent on expanding their numbers: I spotted this quiet couple in our back fence border one recent afternoon. The female will soon lay a single egg, buried in moist soil, which should hatch in five to seven weeks. By that time, mama anole will have several more offspring cooking: she ovulates every two weeks or so. With anoles' life span between two and eight years, you can see how a healthy population can ensue, even with some predation by birds and muttpuppies. They eat all kinds of insects, helping to keep the ecosystem in balance – but mostly, they are just fun to watch scurrying about. |
