Noisy intruder

So you've met Gladys. Who, by the way, is still residing on our dining room table, joining us for meals when she feels so inclined.

After her noonish fly yesterday, she still looked a little hungry. So last night, I left the back porch light on, in hopes of luring a moth or other unsuspecting insect. Finally, I did nab a moth and brought it inside. But alas, it flitted away from me...just when I heard a commotion in the corner of the dining room. I peered toward the noise and saw....

"James!!!!!"

Between the two of us, we captured the fellow–a rather large, robust Mediterranean gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus).

This afternoon, I spoke to a group of high school students who are taking a creative writing class through Texas State University in San Marcos. My main focus was outdoor writing and how much I love learning about nature, then sharing what I learn through my writing–magazine articles and now this blog. When I mentioned photographing and capturing the gecko, Trinity–a young lady–raised her hand and said she'd read about how geckos can climb walls and ceilings. I said I'd read up on that and try to come up with an answer. I found this great webpage on our nocturnal visitor, posted by the Galveston County Master Gardeners. Evidently, geckos have sticky toe pads that enable them to magically scale vertical surfaces and even ceilings. Check out this close-up photo here of the bottom of their feet.

Mediterranean gecko
Hemidactylus turcicus