A woman in Texas lifted a rose her daughter had brought her, looked into the middle of the bloom and found a tiny lizard curled up asleep among the petals. The family photographed it, the photos were shared on Imgur by a user called Cmycherrytree, and the pictures quickly spread across the internet as one of those small, gentle scenes people pass on to cheer each other up.
The short answer to what you are seeing: a young lizard, most likely a Carolina (green) anole, a common species in Texas gardens, resting in the tight inner petals of a rose. Nothing about it is staged or dangerous. Anoles spend much of their lives on shrubs and plants, and a flower offers shelter, warmth and a good spot for catching small insects.
Below you will find the rose photos, what kind of lizard it probably is and why it might choose a flower, what to do if you find one at home, and a gallery of other animals caught in similarly tender moments, each credited to the person who shared or took it.
The rose, the daughter and the sleeping lizard
The story behind the pictures is a simple one. A daughter gave her mother a rose. When the mother leaned in for a closer look, she noticed a small green-grey coil sitting in the centre of the flower: a lizard with its tail wrapped around itself, apparently fast asleep. Rather than shoo it away, the family reached for a camera.
The first close-up shows how neatly the animal fits the flower. The lizard's body follows the spiral of the inner petals almost exactly, which is part of why the photo feels so composed. No one arranged it; the rose simply made a snug cup of exactly the right size.
Closer still, you can see the lizard's head resting on its own coiled tail, eyes closed. Small reptiles often tuck themselves into tight spaces to rest because it keeps them hidden from birds and other predators while they are inactive.
The last frame shows the full curl from slightly above. The poster said that she did not expect to see anything like this again in her lifetime, and judging by how often these images have been reshared since, plenty of people agreed it was a rare sight. Photos: Cmycherrytree on Imgur.
What kind of lizard sleeps in a rose?
The family did not name the species, so any identification from photos is a best guess. The slim body, pointed snout and pale green-to-brown colouring fit a young Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis), sometimes called the green anole. It is native to the south-eastern United States and is common along the Texas Gulf Coast and inland as far as the Hill Country and the Dallas–Fort Worth area.
A few facts about anoles help make sense of the picture:
- They are small. Adults measure roughly 12 to 20 cm including the tail, and most of that length is tail. A juvenile is small enough to fit in the heart of a garden rose.
- They live on plants. Anoles are arboreal and spend a great deal of time in shrubs, on fences and on walls, where they watch for insects and rivals.
- They change colour, but not to match roses. Anoles can shift between green and brown. The change is linked to mood, stress, temperature and social signals, not to camouflage against a background. Despite the old nickname "American chameleon", they are not chameleons.
- They eat insects. Crickets, flies, moths, beetles and spiders make up most of the diet, which is useful in a garden.
Why a flower makes a good bed, and what to do if you find one
It is tempting to imagine the lizard chose the rose for its beauty. The more likely explanation is practical. A dense flower is sheltered from wind, holds a little warmth from the sun, and attracts the small insects an anole eats. For a reptile that cannot regulate its own body temperature, a warm, hidden spot on a plant it already lives on is an easy place to stop. Cut flowers from the garden can carry such a passenger indoors without anyone noticing.
If you discover a lizard in a bouquet or on a houseplant:
- Let it wake and move on its own rather than poking it. Anoles can drop their tails when grabbed, and handling stresses them.
- Carry the whole flower or pot outside and set it near a shrub, so the lizard can climb off in familiar surroundings.
- Do not keep a wild lizard as a pet. Wild anoles need specific heat, light and live food, and they do far better where they were found.
- Wash your hands afterwards, as you would after touching any reptile, since reptiles can carry salmonella.
Moments like this are also a reminder of how much life a garden supports. Bees, beetles and small reptiles use flowers far more than we notice. A similar surprise turned up for a family whose walls hid an entire bee colony, described in The Bartlett Bee Whisperer's Hidden Colony Discovery.
More animals stopping to smell the flowers
The rose photos are not connected to the pictures that follow. These come from different people, places and years, and are gathered here because they share the same mood: small animals meeting flowers up close. Credits link to where each image was posted.
A ground squirrel stands upright and buries its nose in a yellow daisy, eyes shut. The scene closely matches a widely published 2019 picture by Dutch photographer Dick van Duijn, who travelled to Vienna to photograph ground squirrels and spent about two hours taking roughly 200 frames to get it. This copy was shared on Reddit by I_LIVE_ON_THE_SUN.
A striped kitten investigates a pink rose in a garden, shown in two frames as it sniffs and then leans in further. Young cats explore new objects mostly by smell, which is why the nose always arrives first. Shared by Armsman101 on Imgur.
This wide-eyed lizard with spotted, peachy skin looks like a leopard gecko, a species popular as a pet that originates from dry regions of South Asia. It is sniffing a small pink clover-like bloom; geckos flick and smell to check whether something is food. Posted to Reddit by CopyX.
A grey squirrel holds a white daisy to its face with both paws, as if inhaling the scent. Squirrels do eat flower buds and petals, so this may be a snack in progress as much as an aesthetic moment. The image was credited to a photographer on National Geographic's Your Shot community.
A ground squirrel stands in tall grass behind a small bouquet of daisies, looking like a guest arriving at a party. European ground squirrels feed on grasses, seeds and flowers, so meadows full of daisies are their natural pantry. Shared by eastbayrae on Imgur.
A baby alligator lifts its chin and opens its mouth while someone strokes it, a pose that looks like pure contentment. Young alligators are tiny and harmless at this size, but they grow fast, are protected in many places, and should never be handled in the wild. Posted to Reddit by CopyX.
Baby animals and the people who hold them
A young wild rabbit stretches toward a ripe blackberry hanging from a bramble, tongue already out. Rabbits are mainly grazers, but soft fruit is a treat they will not pass up. Shared on Reddit by NightFin.
A hatchling turtle peeks out from under a shell edge that, from this angle, looks very much like a sombrero, which is exactly the joke its owner made. Hatchlings are this small for only a short time, and many species live for decades. Posted to Reddit by Anfraxx.
A baby raccoon clings to a person's hand with its long, dexterous fingers. Raccoon paws are remarkably sensitive, which is why they handle food and objects almost like small hands. Orphaned kits should go to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, since raccoons can carry rabies and roundworm. Shared on Reddit by idle_reaction.
A tiny squirrel lies on its back in someone's palm, eyes half closed and paws in the air. Baby squirrels this young are still fully dependent on their mother; if one is found alone, the usual advice is to give the mother a chance to retrieve it before calling a rehabilitator. Posted on Imgur by iluvhotchix.
A golden dog grins at the camera while someone holds up one of her newborn puppies, eyes still sealed shut. Puppies open their eyes at around two weeks old. The "proud parent" title was given by the Reddit poster, fountary.
A row of fluffy chicks huddles against a warm coffee mug on a kitchen table. Young chicks cannot hold their own body heat well and naturally seek warmth, which is why they gather under a hen or a heat lamp. Shared on Reddit by -rico.
A tabby cat stands on its hind legs to hug a toddler in a red striped hat, rubbing its face against the child's cheek. Head-rubbing is how cats leave scent from glands in their cheeks on the people and things they consider their own. Posted to Reddit by noidraug.
Chester, a young grey rabbit, mid-yawn in his owner's cupped hands, showing his pink mouth and tiny front teeth. Rabbits' teeth grow throughout life, which is why they need plenty of hay to chew. Chester was introduced as the newest family member by Reddit user DreaminDemon177.
A heart-shaped pile of sleeping black-footed ferret kits. This species was declared extinct in 1979 until a small wild population was found near Meeteetse, Wyoming, in 1981; a captive breeding programme begun with 18 animals has since returned ferrets to the wild, though the species remains endangered. The photo comes from Wikimedia Commons.
A sea otter pup sleeps on its floating mother's chest. Mothers carry pups this way to keep them out of cold water, and a pup's fluffy coat holds so much air that it floats like a cork and cannot dive. Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal. Shared on Reddit by fernguy12.
A wildlife photographer's view of small moments
Pictures like these rarely happen by luck alone. Austrian photographer Julian Rad builds his work around small animals in his home country, including red squirrels, European ground squirrels and wild hamsters, often photographed among flowers. His post below shows the patience such photography takes. The European ground squirrel he often features is listed as endangered, having declined as grasslands are ploughed, built on or abandoned.
Julian Rad (@julianradwildlife) on
If you want to try something similar, the rules are the same ones good wildlife photographers follow: keep your distance with a longer lens, never bait or handle wild animals for a shot, and let the animal decide how close the encounter gets. The sleeping lizard in the rose is a good example. The best photos came from noticing, not interfering.
Sources: Rose photos by Cmycherrytree on Imgur; gallery credits as linked above; Wikipedia: Carolina anole; Fox News: Dick van Duijn's ground squirrel photo; Wikipedia: European ground squirrel; Wikipedia: Black-footed ferret; Wikipedia: Sea otter; My Modern Met: Julian Rad.
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