Weather Alert

Aloma and I both received a weather alert a couple of days ago.  It wasn’t for tornados,
thunderstorms or hail. It was for falling iguanas. Iguanas are cold-blooded and when the
temperature gets low (under 50), they get lethargic and when the temperature drops
below 40, they become comatose, can’t move and often fall out of trees.  TV news
warned residents not to pick them up or take them inside because when the
temperature warms up, they become active again.

TV news the next day had videos of iguanas lying still on lawns and on roads.  We
didn’t see any in Naples. TV news reported the only people happy about the falling
iguanas were butchers who sell the meat.

A story not related to the iguanas--I rolled out a grill from the garage in our condo in
Naples, cooked some burgers and then went inside to eat.  After eating, I went back
out to put the grill away. A snake, about 3 ½ feet long, followed me into the garage. I
tried to herd it out by getting in its way and stomping my feet.  Instead of retreating,
the snake reared up and struck at me. I got a shovel and convinced him to leave
the garage. If we were in North Carolina, I would say it was a Copperhead. I’ve
read that they are rare south of Orlando, so I don’t know what it was.

After we moved into our condo we were warned that a panther had been spotted
coming out of some deep woods near the next building.  The HOA president said it
probably wouldn’t attack a person, but you shouldn’t walk your dog in that area. The
sighting was verified by another person the next day.

South Florida sure has some interesting wildlife.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com