WednesdayWalk | Friends or Foe?

The Brown Anole Lizard

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These little guys are so skittish. We see lizards everywhere in Southern Florida and we assume they’re all native to the area. Not this little guy! He is native to Cuba and has been introduced by being sold through pet stores. They reproduce quickly! They are highly invasive and have forced the native Carolina Anole to the tops of trees! They have an orange dewlap under the chin which they inflate to attract the females.

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As we traveled down the sidewalk on this sunny warm day, something bright green flashed to my left. I spied another creature.

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The Cuban Knight Anole

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This fellow is the largest of the Anoles, also native to Cuba and is often confused with the Green Iguana. Introduced to the Southern Florida and again this Anole is a highly invasive species. They do not tolerate cold temperatures and are known to fall from the trees during freezing weather! This Anole is fiercely territorial and will eat anything smaller than itself. He didn’t seem to be fierce with us around, just scurried up the tree!

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By the time we arrived back home we found we had several visitors in our yard!

The American White Ibis

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These birds are found from Virginia down to the Gulf of Mexico but are most commonly found in Florida. Look at those long curved orange bills! Aren’t they cute?

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Ibis love to eat insects, small fish and crayfish and I often find them actively pursuing insects late each day in my yard. Scientists have found the adults spend around 10 hours per day eating. They’re very shy, so I’m not able to get too close

Late this day Mr. Bird called me outside to see our last visitor of the day!

This little guy moves fast, in fact I was only able to get one shot before he jumped away. The Cuban Tree frog is a stealthy creature which is also an invasive species. This tree frog is native to the Caribbean and is the largest tree frog of North America. It is a nocturnal creature who is known to eat anything that will fit into its mouth! They mate year round, highly reproductive!

They secrete toxic mucus which will burn the eyes and is highly dangerous to small pets. We have friends who have had to rush their dogs to the vet because they have touched these tree frogs.

I guess cute little visitors aren’t always as cute as they look! We have learned to be very careful when we encounter wildlife both large and small.

Thanks for joining me on my Wednesday Walk sponsored by @tatoodjay! Thank you @tatoodjay! His daily walks are contagious! One step at a time toward living a healthier life!

Thanks for stopping by!!
And as always, blessings to you all!