Anoles: An Unlikely Pollinator
Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) Polk Co. Texas. by W. L. Farr is licensed under CC-BY-SA-4.0.
The green anole, Anolis carolinensis, is a common species in the southeastern US. You’ve probably seen our native lizard in your gardens, where it feeds on invertebrates. Slugs, moths, roaches, spiders, and beetles are all on the menu for our lizard friend! They typically live in dense plant cover with high humidity, making your pollinator or rain gardens a perfect habitat for these friendly creatures.
This is a particularly interesting creature to me, because we’re learning some unexpected information about them!
Do Anoles Pollinate?
In a series of studies, green anoles have not been listed as pollinators of Alabama species. Further studies do suggest, however, that these lizards might do more for plants than we’ve realized. Even reports from the early 2000s have documented Anolis carolinensis feeding on nectar from flowers in various plant species.
In an even more fascinating observation, this behavior seems most common in areas where the green anole would be considered an invasive species! Further complicating these observations, we also have photos of green anoles drinking the nectar of exotic plants introduced in the southern US, like bananas and palms.
This isn’t an unusual behavior for anoles in general - in the native habitats of these plants, anoles often pollinate those plants anyway. The really strange thing about our green anoles is that they shouldn't have the instinctual drive to recognize, visit, and pollinate these flowers as they’ve never been exposed to these plants in our habitats! While it’s possible that those plants have other ways of attracting the anoles, many researchers have discovered an interesting pattern that might explain the strange behavior from our lizard pals.
The Anoles are Learning to Pollinate!
In December of 2000, Herpetological Review published a study where researchers observed green anoles in the Virgin Islands where they are an introduced species. They watched the anoles’ feeding pattern change, leading them closer and closer to the center of the plant! At the center, they might accidentally come into contact with pollen and nectar. When researchers tagged and released the anoles before returning a few weeks later, they found that the anoles that had accidentally come into contact with that nectar were more likely to seek it out as a food source while foraging! This same pattern was observed in the Ogasawara islands of Japan in 2006, leading to the interesting conclusion that the anoles are learning!
Anoles in their native range.
Re-focusing on Anoles in the southeastern US and our native green anoles, it is certainly possible that this species is even pollinating plants that we don't know about, given that individuals have documented anoles feeding on the nectar of exotic species. Based on the patterns seen in previous studies, it’s not hard to think that we might be overlooking the potential value of Anolis carolinensis as a pollinator! While it might not be as prolific as other pollinators like bees or butterflies, we do know that some studies have shown plants pollinated by invertebrates often have a much higher fertility.
'American green anole (Anolis carolinensis) feeding on the nectar of a palm inflorescence in south Florida' by James Stroud is licensed under CC-BY 2.0
Conclusion
Anoles, our scaly backyard friends, are a common sight in North American gardens. While they are generally welcomed as a form of pest management, it is possible they serve another role as an occasional and important pollinator. We might not be able to list them on the native pollinator list for North Alabama yet, but they certainly have earned their place in our Pollinator Spotlights!
