A gardener sparked jealousy and garnered kudos after capturing a well-camouflaged visitor hiding in their yard.
The Redditor shared a photo of a lizard hanging out on some rocks to the r/AustinGardening subreddit.
A user quickly identified the guest: "Texas spiny lizard! I'm jelly."
Beyond the fun of unexpectedly spotting a cool reptile in the wild, the Texas spiny lizard is a valuable part of the ecosystem. KCEN noted that it can help reduce the insect population by consuming bedbugs, mosquitoes, and more.
If you're lucky, you might even spot cohorts of male Texas spiny lizards competing in pushup contests to assert dominance and find a female mate, as ETSN.fm detailed and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department showed in a video on X.
Lizard power move🦎
— Texas Parks & Wildlife (@TPWDnews) April 16, 2025
Male lizards do push-ups to show who's boss.
📷 Texas Spiny Lizard 💪🏽#WildlifeWednesday pic.twitter.com/BIOrncBRk1
Getting welcome visits from important local species is one benefit of rewilding your yard. Plus, you can attract pollinators such as bees, which are critical to our food and vegetable sources.
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You can also save money by using less water and fewer pesticides and fertilizers. Since your lawn will be better suited to the conditions, it won't require timely and costly landscaping. Considering areas of Texas, including Austin, recently experienced drought, this is of vital importance to homeowners in the region.
Native plants don't require dangerous chemicals that could scare off visitors such as the Texas spiny lizard. The animal's appearance in the original poster's yard is more evidence of the benefits of a natural lawn, which can help both humans and the natural ecosystem.
Redditors were thoroughly excited by the Texas spiny lizard's cameo.
"I love these little skittish fools," one wrote.
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Every day 🥗 "They crack me up," another said. "They're so good at camouflaging that I don't notice them until they sprint away and freak me the hell out."
Another added: "Oh these little dinos make my day! Love them."
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