A few days ago I was coming out of the door from my house and I saw this little fellow on the retaining wall. This lizard is very common in my area of the country and I almost didn't notice him at first. He is commonly known as a Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis. After I took this picture I was actually able to quickly grab him, he was about 6 inches long. I was able to see that he was a male because he had a large pink dewlap or throat fan. The throat fan in females is much smaller. Dewlap flapping is often accompanied by head-bobbing and is used for courtship and defense of territory. This anole is an adult. When I picked up this lizard I was able to examine the toe pads that are used for climbing. Like I said, I found this Anole on a wall by my house, and after I released it, it quickly retreated to a nearby tree and climbed it like a champ. Typically Anoles are arboreal and feed of insects and small spiders. Anoles typically lay their eggs in the spring and summer months. Eggs are buried in moist soil, rotten stumps or logs, or just the forest floor. The eggs then hatch several week later.

What I particularly noticed about this lizard was its granular scales. It was really cool being able to examine them up close on a living specimen. They looked to me like tons of tiny pin pricks. I was proud that I was able to catch an Anole because they are so quick!
Bess Pierce, Charleston, S.C.