– Excerpt from William Bartram’s Travels, Part II, Chapter X
“THERE are several species of the lizard kind besides the alligator, which is by naturalist allowed to be a species of that genus. THE green lizard or little green chameleon is a pretty innocent creature; the largest I have seen were not more than seven inches in length; they appear commonly of a fine green colour, having a large red gill under their throat; they have the faculty of changing colour, which, notwithstanding the specious reasoning of physiologists, is a very surprising phenomenon.”
William Bartram was a botantist, artist, and nature writer that explored the southeastern United States around the time of the American Revolution (1773-1776). He was a scientist, creationist and Christian that gave glory to the Author for all the wonderful works he observed and documented in his book, Travels Through North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida.
Hi, I’m conservation photographer and nature writer William Wise. Nature journaling and wildlife photography has been a favorite pastime since the ‘90s. I graduated from University of Georgia Warnell Forestry School's wildlife program in 1996. I'm currently an animal shelter manager/photographer and reside in Athens, Georgia, USA with my wife and two teenage daughters. My website www.williamwisephoto.com is a wildlife and birding photo website documenting the beauty, design and wonder of creation. I have a deep love of the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. I became a devoted Christian in 1993 under a campus ministry while studying wildlife biology. My love of the outdoors quickly turned into a love for the Creator and His works. Creation Speaks is my teaching ministry that glorifies our Creator and teaches the truth of creation. I am also a guest author at Lee's Birdwatching Adventures and The Creation Club. The theme of my blogging comes from The Message version of Psalms 104 -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, You made earth overflow with your wonderful creations."
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One thought on “William Bartram’s “Little Green Chameleon””
William, when I was researching lizards for a poem I was writing, I read that the brown anoles, an invasive species, had caused the green anoles to change their behavior and move up into the trees. The green anoles’ numbers were greatly reduced. All we see in SW FL is the ubiquitous brown lizards. I am glad to know green anoles still live in the Okefenokee Swamp. Thank you for the photo.
William, when I was researching lizards for a poem I was writing, I read that the brown anoles, an invasive species, had caused the green anoles to change their behavior and move up into the trees. The green anoles’ numbers were greatly reduced. All we see in SW FL is the ubiquitous brown lizards. I am glad to know green anoles still live in the Okefenokee Swamp. Thank you for the photo.
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