Guest Author - Peyton Creadick

When my grandparents moved to Florida more than sixteen years ago, I never thought I’d find myself writing about their herpetological neighbors! It seems my grandparents’ new house is a treasure trove of herpetological experiences! This shouldn’t be a surprise given all the herps in Florida, but it is! You see, a few years ago, they moved to a “maintained” community on a golf course in Florida, and the sitings haven’t stopped since. This trip was the best yet!


When they decided to move from their previous house, I was disappointed. It was situated on a canal with a dock for fishing and crabbing. I still miss the house, but this new house with its visitors is an unexpected pleasure. I saw the occasional anole at the house on the canal but only the occasional anole. Perhaps, the very nature of a “maintained” golf course community creates conditions that send the herps to the houses. That saddens me while simultaneously peaking my curiosity about what else might be dwelling on or around the house!

Having grown up around lakes in Missouri, I’m used to seeing crawdads, snakes, and fish. After moving from the lake, I became used to seeing tons of tadpoles in our in-ground pool when my my mother’s ex-husband would forget to shock the pool early enough in the season. The most exciting thing about those tadpoles was playing “guess the species” as they developed. There were usually two or three different species with the most prolific being the green tree frog (no surprise there).

In my own yard in Georgia, I’ve found (and written about) a few small snake species, some tree frogs, and a terrestrial frog or two. This year our tree frogs-on-glass count has been almost non-existent. We replaced the sliding glass door last year, and they don’t seem to like the new one quite as much. So, why would I be excited about the herps at my grandparents’ house if I have frogs and snakes visiting mine? It’s as much quality as novelty.

In the two afternoons and evenings I spent with my grandparents sitting in their living room, I saw a brown anole, some sort of tree frog, and a house gecko. The gecko was running along the front of the house. It didn’t stop to be viewed with any detail, but I recognized the shape. The tree frog was either Hyla cinerea (green tree frog) or Hyla Squirrella (Squirrel Tree Frog). From my position on the sofa, it’s belly against the glass window behind me. The plant on the table outside, and the table itself, prevented me from examining it closely either. It seemed the wrong shape for a green tree frog.


The anole (pictured in this article) was the most exciting find. It stationed itself right on the edge of the sliding glass door in my view. It was displaying a beautiful orangy-red dewlap when I first noticed it, but by the time I could reach my camera, it decided to end such behavior. I would have loved to have captured an image of him in fully display.

Next time, I’m going prepared. I’ll have my camera next to me at all times. I won’t miss the dewlap shot!