Vernal Equinox

Here is a weather station and magnetic compass for you: Anolis Carolinensis (Green Anole.) I was looking for a photo today and was thinking about the "Vernal equinox" which signals the first day of Spring today. This is what I spotted on an outside wall.

The Green Anole is a common lizard. It is bright green but can change color to light brown. Females have light stripe down the back while males do not. One of the factor that influences the color is the temperature. When the temperature is 70 degree F or higher, this lizard is green; and it is brown when the temperature is in the 60's or below.

If I were to provoke this lizard to a fighting mood, she would display a cream-colored dewlap (a fan-like web under the neck) to say that she lives in Southwest Florida. Common lizards from other geographical locations would show pinkinsh dewlaps.

So, looking at this photo, you can say that the temperature is above 70 degree F (it is 78 today in sunny Miami.)

Now the vernal equinox: The Rite of Spring starts today which means day and night are about equal length (equinox means equal night.) The sun rises precicely in the east and sets precicely in the west only twice each year: today, the vernal equinox and once more on autumnal equinox, in the fall. Technically, Spring arrives at 8:07pm Miami time today.

So the shadow of this lady lizard casts due West, a natural compass.