I don’t know, I think this was three nights ago, I just didn’t post it then. But while doing something else in the yard, I went past a dog fennel plant that was starting to get a little tall and found this:
Now, “a little tall” is relative to the surrounding grasses, which weren’t topping 20cm, but this was a bit less than a meter in height, and far from what dog fennel can accomplish at full growth. Not at all like the trees that most of their brethren were using to sleep upon, and the top curling over is from the negligible weight of the anole.
As much as it looks like an action pose here, the anole was motionless and quite secure in its sleeping position. These are both newborns, because it’s that season, and they seem to be sprouting up all over the damn place.
As you can see, this one was aware of my presence (or at least the bright light of the headlamp,) but did not otherwise react. Had a stiff breeze come up, they would have been going for quite a ride since dog fennel isn’t particularly sturdy, but I think they adjust to this fairly well – I know I’ve disturbed the branches that others have been on before and gotten only a slight shifting in readiness.
The next night only one was on this plant, and last night none at all – you might credit this to predation but it was likely only picking a spot close to where they’d been hunting during the day, and I don’t imagine the dog fennel was big enough to provide much in the way of food choices. Though over ten years ago, they served as the setting for a lot of images, mostly lady beetles.