I’ve long thought I was an introvert, that I didn’t need a ton of people around me to be happy. While I still prefer smaller groups and the chance to know a few people really well as opposed to having a million acquaintances, one of the lessons I’ve learned throughout this pandemic is that I really love connecting with people. My need to engage while still observing social distancing safety precautions has come out in funny ways, including trying to make friends with other creatures that I can get close to - bees, snails, squirrels, and most recently lizards.
This one in particular stole my heart because: 1) He is a beautiful mix of green, blue and pink, 2) He has great taste in plants, and 3) While he wasn’t about to jump into my arms, he was curious about me too, enough to stick around for me to take a ton of pictures.
The closer I got, the more unique detail I could see, colors, scales, muscle movements. Most of this was observed from behind a 90mm macro lens so I still gave him appropriate distance for comfort. The swiveling of his eyes as he looked around and surveyed whether or not I was a threat was fascinating to watch. In some of these, I felt him looking directly at me. I only wish he could have talked back. I remember watching similar lizards in my childhood, many Green Anoles like this one. He didn’t let me capture his red dewlap, but maybe that’s good since it would have been a sign of fear, aggression or desire to mate. I very much enjoyed sharing our moment, especially in a time when I feel particularly starved of interaction. Thank you lizard for trusting me and telling me when you’d had enough!