It Came from Outside

Lizard on the Screen
Tequesta, FL
March 2, 2023

 There it was, a large, although not iguana-large, lizard hanging on the motorized screen we recently had installed to keep vermin away from our patio area. The real question was, was it on the inside or the outside. 

In the image the lizard appears almost like a monster from a "grade b" movie coming up from a dark lagoon somewhere. 

But it was there and it was my job to investigate and determine if the lizard was violating the sanctity of our patio area or safely outside. As lizards go, it was larger than most, but not nearly as large as an iguana or some of the red-headed lizards I have seen recently while biking. 

The invader was, as it turned out, inside of the closed screen near the top. Interestingly, there was no panic on the part of the lizard, I think it had been in the patio for at least 24 hours and was running low on food and it was still cool, making it slower. I was able to open the screen about a foot and gently guide the invader out of the enclosure with a broom. The operation was completed without injuring either myself or the lizard. 

I am not sure how the lizard came to be in the enclosure. We had the screen fully up for a few minutes the day before and that is likely when the visitor may have decided to check out the place--I hope that is the answer because there are no other obvious routes of entry. 

Time will tell. But for now, case closed.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL