Stop and Meet The Anole Lizards by Elaine A. Powers, Author

Jimmy Buffett has a song “Off To see the Lizard.” As I walked through the Leon Levy Preserve on Eleuthera in the Bahamas,  I changed the words to “Stop and Meet the Lizards.” I was inspired by the number of lizards I saw on the trail. I had hoped to find an amieva like the ones with the bright blue tails but didn’t. Fortunately, the anoles were very friendly.

I couldn’t make it “Stop and Meet the Snakes” because the racers raced off and the boas were hiding.

Here are some of my new friends from the Anolis species.

My new book “Tabby and Cleo: Unexpected Friends” includes the theme of stopping in our busy lives to remember we are animals, too, and part of the ecosystem.

Cleo, a Bahamian boa, one of the misunderstood animals of The Bahamas, rescues Tabby, a Five-Finger Fairy. In trying to find Cleo a safe place to live, this unlikely pair help each other and the people they meet. Tabby loves Bahamian wildlife, Bahamian bush teas, and making friends with both animals and humans alike. This book focuses on important conservation issues that threaten Bahamian wildlife, such as wildlife smuggling, habitat loss, invasive species and human intolerance of animals such as snakes and spiders.

Everyone needs nature in their lives. One of my friends calls it Vitamin N, one of the essential vitamins.

So as you go about your life, stop and meet something in nature.  It doesn’t have to be lizards or even an animals.  Stop and meet the birds, squirrels or flowers along your way.