We have often heard that lizards are the most obnoxious animals in gardens, and having them devour your plants only adds to the unsettling irritation they already cause. However, lizards in gardens rarely consume plants, suggesting that another party may be at blame.
Depending on the species, lizards might be primarily herbivorous or virtually exclusively insectivorous. A lizard’s likelihood of being a herbivore increases with size, whereas its likelihood of causing damage to garden plants decreases with size. The presence of lizards around plants is advantageous since they typically consume harmful insects.
When it comes to devouring plants, iguanas are most likely to blame, and if allowed unchecked, they can completely destroy a plant crop.
Even though most people despise them, lizards occasionally prove to be useful. We are all aware of the lizard’s well-known propensity for devouring mosquitoes and other tiny insects. They will undoubtedly assist you in getting rid of those insects, but there are also benefits to considering while keeping a lizard in the garden in your backyard.
Let’s quickly review some of the most important problems and commonly asked questions relating to lizards and their advantages and disadvantages.
Table of Contents
Why do Lizards Eat Plants?
When it comes to devouring plants, the larger lizards, like iguanas, are frequently to blame. These larger lizards will completely avoid the little insects that are creeping all over the garden and instead turn toward lush greens.
Smaller garden lizards are more drawn to the creepy crawlers in the garden and rarely consume plants. This is incredibly advantageous for both plants and plant owners.
These tiny lizards occasionally consume plants while attempting to consume insects and other invertebrates. However, they do not significantly harm the plants. Unless they enjoy eating the garden’s fruits and little vegetables.
Read our article on producing mushrooms in a vegetable garden.
What Plants do Lizards Like to Eat?
Few lizards are herbivorous, and prefer to consume some leafy vegetables, as the bulk of lizards are insectivorous.
Known leafy greens that lizards find particularly alluring include:
- Lettuce
- Cucumbers
- Choi Pac
- a water crest
In addition to some squash and berries, lizards also enjoy eating flowers, berries, and some peas and sweet potatoes.
An iguana previously raided my aquaponic garden and devoured the majority of the leaves and blooms off my cucumber plants, causing the plants to produce little to no fruit. View the in-depth post here.
How to Catch a Garden Lizard:
There are numerous ways to trap a lizard, but it is crucial to exercise caution and keep an eye out for catching a wild lizard.
Even though a wild lizard’s bite is not highly harmful, it can nonetheless make you sick or cause sickness. As a result, use caution when capturing garden lizards and identify the species to determine whether it is toxic or not.
As was already noted, several lizards have the potential to be poisonous. However, if we take a different perspective, we can see that most garden lizards are harmless and do not pose a significant threat.
Here are some tips for catching garden lizards safely:
Using a net:
A straightforward net or stick can be used to capture a garden lizard. Simply move that net carefully in the direction of the lizards, fast and smoothly try to capture that little critter inside the net, and release them in a secure and remote location.
Use a towel:
to rapidly remove a lizard from the grounds of your home. Don’t panic, just wrap the lizard with a soft, thin cloth and try to completely enclose it before releasing it.
Prepare a fake bait :
Making a phony bait and ensnaring lizards inside of it is another method of deceiving them. Any tiny insects or pests will work to draw lizards to your prepared bait.
It is advised not to keep lizards in captivity for longer than three hours after trapping them. Therefore, it is best to release the lizards far from your garden, where they can find safety from other predatory animals.
10 Ways to Safely get Rid of Lizards from the Garden
It is frequently discovered that garden lizards can be a huge hassle for gardeners, and occasionally it is really necessary to hurl them out of the garden. Lizards can frequently be a big hassle in the yard and can ruin some of the smaller, low-growing plants like strawberries.
It becomes imperative to get rid of those garden lizards in this situation. It is crucial that you safely remove those lizards without endangering both you and them.
If you’re attempting to get rid of obstinate garden lizards, the following tactics and tips may be of assistance to you:
1. Hot sauce spray:
Using a hot sauce spray could generate heat and acid in the surrounding area. The lizards will eventually be forced to depart that region as a result of this creating an uncomfortable and inappropriate environment for them. However, it is crucial to remember that there shouldn’t be a longer gap between spraying sessions in the garden. It must be sprayed regularly and promptly reapplied because a significant time lapse will reduce its effectiveness.
2. Inducing a hot environment:
The lizards have a hard time surviving in the extreme heat. Few lizard species can survive in extremely hot conditions, such as those found in desolate places, but garden lizards typically cannot. Garden lizards are more likely to constantly find themselves in pleasant shade. preferably under a dense canopy of leaves.
3. Using an Eggshell:
The smell of eggshells is the most frequent source of lizard discomfort. According to observations, lizards detest the smell of eggshell. Therefore, it is the method that will most likely get the lizards out of the garden.
Note: When eggshells are placed without being washed, the fragrance or odor of eggs is more prominent.
4. Coffee Powder:
It has been demonstrated that lizards are bothered by and dislike the smell of coffee powder. Thus, this could be seen as an efficient and less expensive lizard removal option.
5. Tobacco Powder:
Sprinkle tobacco powder around the regions where garden lizards live as a further method of eradicating them. It has been noted that garden lizards are also sensitive to the scent of tobacco.
6. Using Garlic Cloves:
Lizards typically find the scent that is produced by the enzymes in garlic to be unbearable. This is a really effective and simple method. Due to the fact that every family already has garlic cloves, this cure can be applied swiftly and easily.
7. Onion peels:
Onion peels placed in various places also aid in lizard removal. The fragrance of onions also helps to scare off lizards.
8. Dried red chilies or chili powder:
Red chili powder also aids in repelling lizards because its pungent aroma makes it harder for them to survive there.
Dry red chilies are another simple option if leaving red chili powder around is generating a lot of chaos.
9. Black pepper:
Black pepper is also a very useful and inexpensive choice to get rid of lizards quickly, as we are well recognized that spicy scents and ingredients make it impossible for lizards to survive.
10. Cold water:
Lizards are not well-adapted to surviving in cold climates. This is the sole explanation for why lizard sightings are so scarce in the winter. The cold, windy evenings are when they choose to hibernate. Lizards become enraged when cold water is sprinkled on them, and they attempt to leave the area.
Smells that Repels Lizards
The presence of several odors deters lizards. The ingredients that penetrate such aromas and odors are extremely simple to locate either in every household or in the places and stores close to your home. The odor that repels lizards is also very simple to obtain.
The lizards find it difficult to survive because of certain odors. These scents make the environment uncomfortable for the lizards, which ultimately compels them to leave the current location.
Even if the compounds that lizards find repulsive have previously been mentioned, there are still some additional, highly efficient techniques that gardeners can use to keep lizards out of their gardens.
Naphthalene balls:
Naphthalene balls keep small insects and other pests out of your garden in addition to helping to keep lizards away and deter them from returning.
Lizards repellent spray:
In addition to other commercially available lizard repellent sprays, there are also numerous homemade remedies and chemical concoctions that claim to keep lizards away from your home.
These sprays aid in preventing lizards from congregating around the house. This is a very reliable and efficient method of keeping lizards away.
Some plants have a perfume that works as an irritation to lizards, therefore they will help keep them away from the garden. To prevent the unwanted annoyance, these plants can also be mixed in with other plants in the garden.
Plants that ward off lizards include:
- Peppermint, Mentha Piperita
- Nilgiri eucalyptus.
- the Japanese mint, Mentha arvensis.
- Euphorbia tirucalli, or pencil tree.
- Suitable Soil:
Lizard Benefits in the Garden:
LIZARDS ARE VIEWED AS GOOD COMPANION IN THE GARDENS OR THE GOOD GUYS OF THE GARDEN, OR WE CAN SAY TAGGED AS SUCH.
The primary benefit of keeping lizards in the garden is that they keep pests and insects that destroy plants out of the area and stop other insects from harming the plants.
In essence, lizards assist plant lovers and gardeners in safeguarding and protecting plants from such little insects.
Lizards should be appreciated in gardens since they consume undesirable pests and insects like:
- Beetles
- Ants
- Wasps
- Aphids
- Grasshoppers
- Spiders
By increasing the organic matter in the soil, these bugs, when trapped, can be utilised in the soil to help improve the nutrients available for plants. You might wish to read the detailed post on the advantages of introducing dead bugs to plants.
In the garden, these bugs would have disastrous consequences on crop yield if left unchecked.
| Vermin & Insects | Damages that insects can do to a garden |
|---|---|
| Beetles | The leaves are chewed in an erratic manner by flea beetles. Plants that have suffered severe flea beetle damage may become stunted or wilted. |
| Ants | Ants are helpful to the garden and soil, but they provide a challenge for gardeners since they can bite and irritate the skin. |
| Wasps | Although wasps are good for pollination, they can sting gardeners and trigger an allergic reaction. |
| The Grass Hoppers | Grasshoppers eat grasses as well as plant stems, leaves, and leaves, leaving behind huge gaping holes. See further causes of plant steam splitting or breaking. |
| Aphids | A poison that some aphid species inject into plants results in curled leaves, which further stunts growth. |
| Spiders | Spiders can help reduce smaller insects in the yard, but they can be a pain for gardeners. |
How to Attract Lizards to the Garden
You must establish the ideal habitat for lizards in your yard in order to draw them there and reap the rewards.
You must: in order to make the surroundings lizard-friendly.
- Do not use chemical pesticides.
- Give them several places to hide
- Garden that is properly mulched
- Have open spaces where lizards can bask in the sun and control their body temperature.
- To avoid dehydration, keep a source of open water nearby.
- have a source of food (most likely the insects in the garden)
Final thoughts on Having Lizards in the Garden
Putting an end to the debate over the advantages and disadvantages of lizards and whether they are good for gardens.
Garden lizards undoubtedly assist you in keeping little insects and other pests away from the crops you have worked so hard to grow and care for, but they may also occasionally be the source of dread, necessitating their removal for your peace of mind.
Owning a garden lizard has pros and cons of its own. Although it can occasionally devour your plants on its own, it can also assist you safeguard your plants from other insects. The fragile and sensitive plants growing in your yard may also suffer some damage as a result of their feces.
Some lizards can recall seeing people who look like them. When their humans are around, they will recall their touch and be able to detect them, and they will act differently from how they would act around strangers.
We sincerely hope that these advice and tricks were helpful to you. You won’t have to worry about lizards in the garden any longer if you maintain your gardens secure and take all the essential procedures to safeguard them.
FAQ
Do any lizards eat plants?
Although some lizards eat plants (they don’t cause much harm), most lizards prefer to eat insects, especially ants, aphids, beetles, grasshoppers, wasps, and spiders. By moving, they discover their food visually.
What type of lizards eat plants?
Lizards eat plants, but why? When it comes to devouring plants, the larger lizards, like iguanas, are frequently to blame. These larger lizards will completely avoid the little insects that are creeping all over the garden and instead turn toward lush greens.
Do lizards eat leaves?
Herbivorous lizards exclusively consume plant-based foods are referred to as such. The leaves and fruit that grow on trees can be reached by many of these lizards by climbing up them. Here are a few examples of what a herbivorous lizard might consume: leaves.