After a little research, I’ve learned that our little lizard friends are anoles. The green anole (which has the ability to turn brown) is native to Florida, and tend to be scarce in comparison to the non-native brown anole, which came from Cuba* and the Bahamas.
We saw more on the tree last night when going out to the grocery store, and one of them started doing push ups, which was hilarious. Apparently, that’s a defensive behavior. They also will stick out their dewlaps, which are either red or red-orange, though that tends to be more reserved for attracting a mate. Another defense they have is that their tails will break off at the slightest pressure and their tail will wiggle and twitch and hopefully distract the predator while the lizard runs away. The anole’s tail will grow back within weeks.
Also, they’re really cute. More information on anoles can be found here.
*on tiny, tiny rafts.
