Green Anole on Thistle

Or, A Study in Green

I just happened to see this Green anole resting on a Cirsium horridulum, which we call a Horrible Thistle as to not have to pronounce the Latin. Of the common thistles in the southern U.S., this one tends to get very large depending on the surrounding area and sunlight. This particular thistle stood almost as tall as me, making it around 67 inches tall, and the thickness of the main stem is apparent from the photograph. The Anole stayed very still, even as I approached, giving me the opportunity to take several shots and just stand and observe for a bit.

This closeup of the above image shows the blue around the eyes. The green anole changes color, from shades of green to shades of brown, and the blue around the eyes (if you can get that close) during the brown phase gives a positive ID. It also shows the texture of the skin, and the sharp points of the thistle. It found an ideal hiding place, it blended almost perfectly, and with the size of those thistles very few predators would risk attempting to make this anole lunch.