It’s Saturday again and time to share garden happenings. I suppose it is very appropriate to find a Jesus Lizard in the garden during Easter week. I had been seeing a fast moving animal in the garden for a couple of weeks, it appeared to be running on its back legs like a little T Rex dinosaur. I am beginning to think I am seeing things. Things that aren’t there. Finally, it stopped and I was close enough to get a picture.
Here is the lizard. Google was able to identify this as a Brown Basilisk or Jesus Lizard. It does run on its back legs and has paddle shaped feet that make it appear to walk on water if it runs into a lake at high speed, hence the name. These are not native to Florida and considered invasive. Mental health crisis averted. Additional information, if you need it. loridatoday.com/story/news/local/environment/2023/02/22/jesus-lizard-florida-what-to-know-brown-basilisks/69902695007/
I was thrilled to get my second Ranunculus flower.
I am looking forward to eating this pepper. Tonight. My first successful red pepper.
I have been moving bromeliads around this week. A new container of Neoregelia bromeliads was assembled for the porch from random plants in the back garden.
‘Purple Haze’ Billbergia bromeliad added to the front garden. A ring cut from a nursery container supports the plant as it roots into its new space.
I planted three Papayas grown from seed in the back garden. Hopefully a male and female plant emerge from the trees and I get some fruit. These are Mexican Papayas. I have them amongst the pineapples that were gnawed by something. Maybe the Jesus Lizard.
Happy Easter and Happy Gardening!!
To see more SOS posts visit Jim at http://gardenruminations.co.uk
The Shrub Queen 
That ranunculus is stunning! I hope you will have even more soon.
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Jesus Lizard…Wow! I would like to see one of those. Your ranunculus has great colors. You may have said, but are you growing them in the ground or a pot?
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The lizard is a weird thing. They are supposed to live near water so I am not sure why it is here. The ranunculus is in a grow bag, no hope of growing in the ground I would guess.
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What a fun little lizard and so aptly named for this weekend. The peppers are looking tasty too. Enjoy your dinner with them.
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I am not so sure about the lizard. They can grow to a meter long.
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Wow for the lizard! It’s true that it looks like a prehistoric animal…! This kind of things that we don’t have around here.
Congrats on the papayas and I can’t wait to see if you have both flowers soon. (ranunculus have arrived here too. More in my next Six)
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There are some strange invasive lizards here. We have rainbow agamas that are blue and red. I am interested to see what the papayas do. Weird we have ranunculus at the same time, are yours in the ground year round?
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No. They are in a large pot ( 70l) and I bring them in the greenhouse for wintering
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No one seems to have luck with Ranunculus in the garden? Maybe they grow in Persia, since they are Persian Buttercups?
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They could grow here but frost free
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A basilisk, oh my! đŸ˜€
Your bromeliad collection is growing nicely, lovely ranunculus and I hope you enjoy that fine red pepper. Happy Easter! đŸ™‚
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It seems Harry Potter is in the house! The red pepper once picked is about half the normal size, but a wonderful burgundy color. Happy Easter to you!
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Love that Ranunculus! I planted some corms but they don’t take orders from me apparently! The red pepper looks delicious. Good work and good eating.
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Love that ranunculus! I grew some in my earlier AZ garden, but they needed sooo much water that I hesitated to do it again. They’re magnificent though, so perhaps I should try them in a container as you are doing. It clearly works!
I hope your papayas come through with fruiting!
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What a beautiful Ranunculus Amelia! I thought I was looking at Fatsia leaves in the last photo. The papaya foliage is certainly very striking. I hope the papayas don’t get gnawed at too. The Jesus lizard must be a bit alarming if it moves at such speed, even if harmless!
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Thank you, Cathy – I have a few more buds on the Ranunculus and am waiting breathlessly to see what color pops out. For some reason Fatsia is unusual here, which seems strange to me. I love it. I planted three Papayas which is way too many, it is okay if something gets gnawed.
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Oh NO way!!! If I saw that thing in the garden, I would stay inside with the windows and doors locked! At least it does not look very big. Brent and I saw something that resembled this on a road from Palm Springs to Agua Caliente. It was tall though, perhaps a foot long, and half as high above the hot pavement, and running down the road in the same direction that we were going. It looked over at us as we passed, and freaked us out. We have no idea what it was or what it was doing out there, . . . besides running down the road like a crazy dinosaur.
Anyway, the ranunculus is pretty. I have not grown any that bloomed well in a while. We added some at work last year, but they did not perform well.
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i would say it is about 18 inches, they can grow to three feet though I have a feeling it will move closer to water. I think they are native to Mexico so you may have seen one. Weird things, something ate the tops off the pineapples. Ranunculus is a magazine plant I think.
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Yes, that sounds about right. They can get about three feet high. I have seen them leaning over barbed wire that is about three feet high, so they must be a bit longer if about a foot hangs over.
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I am hoping this one goes away..
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OH MY! I thought I was talking about Vinca major, not the Jesus lizard! Wow, I was WAY off topic! Yes, I would want that scary thing to go away also.
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Hahaha..no vinca major here.
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GADS! I would not stay around to notice how big it was if it was that big!
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