Tag Archives: Texas Backyard Naturalist

Green Anole

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Texas Backyard Critters

Harry, my backyard green anole

The amount of wildlife that inhabits my garden beds continues to amaze me. I’m not a big reptile fan, but I have formed an attachment to one green anole, a lizard, that enjoys soaking up sun rays on the brick ledge outside my bedroom window. I’ve named him Harry after the anole in the BBC series, Death in Paradise.

I find Harry taking up his sunbathing perch most afternoons. Sometimes he clings to the brick facing outside the front door. Other times he’s positioned on a wrought iron butterfly sculpture. And, if feeling particularly private, I’ve found him snugged up in a Rose of Sharon bush.

Battle Royal – Green Anoles

I’ve always thought of Harry as a peaceful, quiet sort of guy. Imagine my surprise, that while trimming up some overly exuberant trumpeter vine, I encountered Harry in mortal combat with another green anole. This was a pitched, dinosaur-style battle. The lizards circled each other and bobbed up and down. At different intervals the anoles took turns puffing up their dewlap, that’s the pinkish-red neck flap under their chin. It didn’t take me long to discover the reason for the skirmish. Clinging to a nearby rainspout was a female anole, oblivious to the fight taking place three feet away. Alas, Harry did not fair well in the battle, and retreated.

Female Anole waits patiently

The battle I witnessed is common in springtime. Green anoles jealously guard their territory, fighting intruders, especially when a female is involved. Another interesting tidbit, green anoles change colors, sometimes with incredible rapidity. During Harry’s battle royal, the two lizards transformed from forest green to brown and back again. In retreat, Harry shifted back to the bright grass-green skin I’m accustomed to. Scientists believe humidity, mood, temperature and health trigger color shifting, not a camouflage adaption. I’d always believed green anoles were a type of chameleon and was surprised to learn that they are more closely related to iguanas than chameleons.

I’ve discovered more green anoles in the yard. There is one little fellow who suns itself on my compost bin – a great place to catch a few rays and snatch a bite to eat (lots of ants around the bin). Harry’s opponent, in the side yard, likes to hide within my trumpeter vine. And there is a baby anole in the front yard who suns on a low rock in the afternoon. I’m sure, if you look closely, you, too, may have a few lizard friends in your own backyard.

More Anole Tidbits

Green anoles are diurnal, which means they are daytime critters

Great for the garden, anoles eat bugs, slugs, moths, and worms

Another species, the non-native brown anole is an invasive species out competing its green anole cousin in our area

Anoles live two to eight years

Green anoles can be kept as pets

Eastern Cottontail

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Texas Backyard Critters

Hoppy, an Eastern Cottontail Rabbit

Exploring my backyard has replaced day trips, as we all do our part to stop the spread of covid-19 and stay home. I am amazed and entertained by the microcosm of life around me. One frequent visitor to my garden oasis, consistently maintains at least the CDC prescribed six-foot distance – an eastern cottontail rabbit my family named Hoppy. This little guy … could be a gal … it’s difficult to sex a rabbit … lives under a tool shed in the corner. The yard is fenced, offering Hoppy protection from most predators, though I’ve noted he’s beginning to foray out in the evenings. And while he does prefer to dine on black eyed susan plants, he’s discovered that seeds, dropped by squirrels raiding the bird feeder, are mighty tasty, too.

While many view the rabbit as a pest, I admire its adaptability.  The eastern cottontail is ubiquitous adjusting to North Texas’ changing landscape and creating habitat for itself in among suburban subdivisions.  On my neighborhood walks, I frequently spy at least one fluff-tailed critter. An herbivore, the rabbit dines on lawns and makes its home in shrubs. An opportunistic vegetarian, the eastern cottontail will gladly switch from its native diet of grasses to other garden plants, like my black eyed susan, when available.

These small mammals weigh just two to four pounds. They are crepuscular, meaning they’re active during dawn and dusk, generally resting during the day. I often find Hoppy catching a little afternoon sun and taking a nap nestled in the garden bed mulch.

In the wild, rabbits live just a little over a year contending with predators like bobcat, fox, coyote, owls, and hawks. To survive, cottontails possess exceptional eyesight and hearing.  If they sense danger, the rabbit will freeze in place or dash for cover.  Backyard naturalists likely have seen both behaviors.  Cottontails can jump up to 15 feet and often will flee in a zigzag pattern – done to throw a predator off its scent.

Life is tough for the eastern cottontail, even in suburbia. Backyard bunnies, like Hoppy, have to contend with predatory dogs and cats, but most are killed by cars. Still, rabbits thrive in North Texas often birthing several litters of kits each season. Unlike their cousin the hare, rabbits are helpless at birth, born both blind and hairless. The new kit (baby rabbit) will quickly grow its fur and open its eyes, leaving the nest within about two weeks. Kits mature to full grown adults within four or five months. I’ve watched Hoppy grow from small kit to full grown rabbit over the past several months. He continues to captivate me with his cuteness.

More Rabbit Tidbits

  • Eastern cottontails are not social animals and prefer to live singularly.
  • The female cottontail is larger than the male.
  • Cottontails rarely drink water, getting most of their water from the plants they eat.
  • In winter, if green plants are not available, the cottontail will eat twigs and bark.
  • Cottontails will sometimes eat their own droppings to get all the nutrients from the food they ate.