I Used to be Terrified by this Little Green Lizard…Now I’m in Search of It

We moved to Florida more than five years ago, and I remember the first time I saw this creature. I was walking along the sidewalk in my neighborhood, and it jumped out onto the walkway from the bushes. Even though it is less than eight inches long and the color of a ripe lime, the thing startled me so much that I jumped back.

And then I stood there for a moment watching it. Mesmerized by his lime green color and tiny little “fingers.” I was from Missouri. And was used to garden snakes the color of mud. Never having seen any creature this vibrant, I got a little closer, and it obliged by not moving. Then, after inching nearer to his tail, he finally flinched and darted away.

From that moment on, I was hooked. I had to learn more about this lizard, technically called a Green anole (Anolis carolinensis.) :

“One of North America's more successful lizards, the Green anole is the only native anole in the United States. Active by day, this attractive lizard reaches a length of 8 inches and has the ability to change color, from bright green to brown, within a few seconds.”

This article from The National Park Service maintains that the Green anole is found most often in the Southeastern United States.

Not to be confused with The Madagascar Giant Day Gecko (Phelsuma grandis.) It is an established, species in South Florida, known for its vibrant lime-green color and large size (up to 12 inches.) I have yet to see it here on the West side of the state.

Apparently they aren’t inherently harmful, but the Brown anoles are:

“The invasive brown anole (Anolis sagrei), which is native to the Caribbean, has spread throughout Florida and the Southeast, frequently outcompeting the native green anole.”

This article by The Wildlife Society explains how the Brown anoles got here in the first place:

“Brown anoles (Anolis sagrei) inadvertently came to Florida in the 1800s by tagging along on cargo shipments. Since then, the invasive species have moved steadily northward in the state, often taking over territories occupied by native green anoles.”

The Brown anoles are forcing the green lizards to climb higher into the trees, according to this study by the University of Florida.

So, my question is, how do we get rid of the Brown Anoles so they don’t completely eliminate those cute green cuties?

Aside from glue traps and chemical repellants (which could also harm the Green anoles,) all we can really do is plant tall shrubs near our homes so the little green lizards can escape vertically.

Brown anoles are a Backyard Menace

I feel for this home owner in Galveston, Texas. In a letter written to Anole Annals, he laments that the varmints are killing baby Green anoles in his garden:

“I try to keep the Cuban anoles away from my front porch area, as I did have 3 green anoles that hung out on the plants on my front porch. That was earlier this summer. Since then, I had one baby green anole hatch out, but then disappeared ( she was SO TINY) I am assuming she got eaten by a Cuban anole. In the past couple of weeks, the one large green anole male I had, has disappeared, as well as the adult female I had hanging out up here on my porch too.”

The writer goes on to say while he used to enjoy caterpillars, tree frogs, house geckos and other species in his yard, all he sees now are Brown anoles everywhere.

The avid gardner suggests using a heavy duty fly swatter on the varmints. But even that admits that might prove not enough to get rid of this invasive population for good.