Dew cute

Just had to post some very recent pics, since I was out in the yard during the wee hours of the morning (you know, about the time you often have to wake up and wee,) looking for mantids laying egg sacs. I saw none of those, dagnabbit, but did see the ubiquitous green treefrogs of course… and one other subject that I’m going to feature here. It was, in fact, the second such example of the species that I found, the other being much harder to spot, but these pics are by far the best. Moreover, this was right on the front walk in a potted gardenia of The Girlfriend’s.

juvenile Carolina anole Anolis carolinensis asleep on gardenia leaves covered in dew
That is, naturally, a very juvenile Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis) snoozing on the leaves – almost certainly this one, given that it was the same size and coloration, and only three meters from where those shots were taken. That’s the full frame – we need to see the detail in a closer crop.

close crop of Carolina anole Anolis carolinensis covered in dew
That… is simply far too cute – I probably should have warned you. Anoles are diurnal of course, not active at all at night, and the temperature had dropped distinctly (thus the dew,) so this one likely won’t get moving again until some sunlight gets into play. It did indeed open its eyes and view my bobbing headlamp with concern, but that was the extent of its movement, and I let it be after a handful of frames.