Throwback: Lara's Favorite Lizard
From Naturally Florida by Shannon Carnevale and Lara Milligan
August 18, 2025 · 18 min · Season 5 · Episode 8
About this episode
This episode revisits the unique characteristics of green anoles and their interaction with Cuban brown anoles.
Green anoles are some of Florida’s most familiar—and most overlooked—neighbors. In this episode of Naturally Florida , we revisit our very first show from 2020 to explore what makes these little lizards so unique, how they interact with the introduced Cuban brown anole, and what you can do to help them thrive in your own backyard. Learn more: Cuban Brown Anole or Green Anole (video): https://youtu.be/KQhnzi9mkYI Landscaping Solutions: Green Anoles: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/design/gardening-with-wildlife/anoles.html How You Can Help: Help us document their populations! If you see a green anole in your yard or while out in one of Florida's many natural areas, snap a picture with your smartphone and upload it to iNaturalist.org. Add habitat to your yard or neighborhood. Consider adding native shrubs or small trees and changing part of your yard from lawn to Florida-Friendly Landscaping to provide habitat for a variety of small critters. Learn more here: https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/about-ffl/9-principles/principle-5-attract-wildlife/ Sources for this Episode: Invader Updater: Cuban Brown Anole, UF Wildlife Department (2011)…
People in this episode
Hosts: Shannon Carnevale, Lara Milligan
Topics covered
- Florida wildlife
- green anoles
- Cuban brown anole
- lizard conservation
- backyard habitat
Keywords
- green anoles
- Cuban brown anole
- Florida wildlife
- lizard conservation
- backyard habitat
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: UF Wildlife Department, University of Tennessee
Books & works: Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)
Places: Florida
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- Florida's State Bird ... but for how long? · February 16, 2026 · 19 min
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