I worked in the yard all day yesterday cleaning out more planted beds that had disappeared beneath invading grass and weeds. I also washed two reluctant retrievers and cleaned off the porch with hose, deck brush, and soap. Then there was machete work (Yes!) that needed to be done. Alot of my palms needed their bangs trimmed, so I roamed around the place swinging my blade like Jungle Jim ... 'member him?
Anyway, the point is this ... it was one heck of a hot, thickly humid day and I was working like an endentured worker on a South Florida sugar plantation. Surely, I deserved some kind of reward.
As I was hosing off my portable plastic sawhorses, (the free ranging chickens had roosted on them) out popped this gecko.
I chased him around a bit before catching him and bringing him in for a visit. He's an exotic, but a relatively harmless one as Florida invasives go ... am I making excuses because he's so cute.
Not sure... could be.
Apparently geckos are perfectly adapted to kitchen placemat habitats. He seemed to blend right in.
Okay, gecko geeks, is this a Mediterranean Gecko or something else?
I'm not a gecko expert.
MONDAY EVENING UPDATE: I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS A MEDITERRANEAN GECKO .
Opinion from a gecko non-geek: he's cute, and perfection is unobtainable.
ReplyDeleteDo you think "cute as a gecko on a placemat" will replace "cute as a bug in a rug" as a Florida truism?
I dunno but I do like geckos. No geckos in Kansas however. I enjoyed your post on the carrion beetles. I didn't know they were in Florida but maybe the are residents throughout North America. They are definitely hard workers but maybe not quite as much as the dung beetles?!
ReplyDeleteHe's so cute. When my mother moved to the woods of north Florida she encountered bugs that she had never seen before. She decided to get a gecko and gave him/her free run of the house. They lived together quite happily for about 4 years. Until the day she woke up and it was under one of the pillows in her bed. Back to the pet store it went.
ReplyDeleteI like "Cute as a gecko on a placemat" - has a very nice ring to it.
ReplyDeleteis that gordon gekko of "greed?"
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful gecko. Love the way he blends right in on the placement. I have no idea what kind of gecko he is, but I'm glad you spent some quality time with him.
ReplyDeleteHe looks a lot like a leopard gecko, but his tail is too thin. Cute though. :) (Geckos are about the only reptiles I can handle, we even had a couple in the house as pets)
ReplyDeleteGoogle "Florida House Gecko"
ReplyDeleteIs that the one that I see in the ads for the insurance company? If it is, it's british I believe based on its accent.
ReplyDeleteWe has some kind of Gecko at our other house and they would lay their eggs in stuff in our garage. Several times I found the eggs, put them on a paper towel in a little bowl and watched them eventually hatch. My kind of simple fun. :)
You mean you didn't stay by the teevee and watch my Cowboys kick some serious Dolphin ass. How sweet it was for me down here in the middle of Dolphin world.
He is indeed a (very) cute gecko
ReplyDeletespecies: C. Howcutious Iam.......
Wren,
ReplyDeleteI think that jingle has possibilities!
Joni,
Not supposed to be any geckos here either, but folks let them loose. I bet Doug knows how widespread they are. They are hard workers ... fast too!
Debbie,
I considered doing that actually, but our native lizards (anoles) seem to dry out if they get trapped inside. I guess A/C might be hard on them.
Leslie,
It does and I'm pretty sure no one else is using it at this time :)
roger,
good golly. i think i have a hole in my knowledge base.
Robin,
I just let him go in the palm tree outside about 5 minutes ago. He seemed pretty happy to be free.
Sharon,
I'll google it, but he has to be an import. I guess it's the big eyes that endears them to us.
POP,
Shhhhhh. Junior's favorite NFL team is the Fins. How could you!
ThreeCollie,
I think you nailed it!
Hey, that looks like my car insurance guy! I had never actually met him face to face.
ReplyDeleteYou got me. Could be a Geico Gecko, for all I know.
ReplyDeleteDeb,
ReplyDeleteHe said to tell you rates are going up.
Hoss,
Apparently Geico has a winner with their mascot.
I'd say it's definitely a Mediterranean gecko (a.k.a. house gecko). And a great looking young'un, too!
ReplyDeleteJason,
ReplyDeleteWelcome!
Thanks, I just finished coming to that same conclusion. See update.
late to the party -- that is one cute gecko!
ReplyDeleteI say he might give you a good rate on the JEEP. You know FC I have been seeing more of these critters down here also. Used to just be regular good ole fashioned Lizards, now we these invading too.
ReplyDeleteIm calling Homeland Security.
Yours in the Bond
He is probably a she. Many of these little exotic geckos are parthenogenetic.
ReplyDeleteKathy A,
ReplyDeleteI see why folks keep them as pets. Definite cuteness that is lacking in most of the reptile world.
Scott,
I'm sure they've already monitored this communication and are aware.
Jason,
Cool. I didn't know lizards did that. Aphids, yes, and apparently a captive shark in one of the large sea aquariums recently "went solo".
I'm late too, but that's a Crate & Barrel Gecko! They're always color co-ordinated. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy daughter just returned from the Philippines where she is a missionary there. Evidently, she must have brought a gecko home in her suitcase because we now have one living in our spare bedroom, and we live in Kansas! It's been a week now that we have had it, so it must be finding things to eat. I put a humidifier in the room to try to keep it moist. I don't know what else to do for it. Any suggestions?
ReplyDelete