Animal Tracking: Down The Rabbit Hole

There is still one tree left that is dropping apples - and I am not the only one who is gathering them! Yesterday I knelt down the gather a bag full up apples for some potential apple sauce, I could see that deer had been there amongst other critters nibbling the fruit too. When I leaned forward to grab a nice dark red apple I saw rabbit scat (poop) in three piles right ahead of me.
The scat was obviously fresh and from my point of view I could see a well worn thin trail...
I followed the trail carefully looking for more evidence, after about 10 feet of winding i found a half eaten apple. :) It was freshly eaten within a 1-2 hours, the apples falling wild from the trees turn brown really fast once open.
Then next to some rocks i found more apple bits, but these much were older. Possibly the rabbit's compost pile. ;)
And there was the hole... where the rabbit stays! Awwww, cute.
What an awesome place to live!
XOXO

Squeezin' In A Narrow Cave

Up on a steep hill in the woods there is a pile of huge rock out croppings- inheritly as dangerous as it is infinitely stable, the tremendous rocks are all piled together in such a way that it created a series of caves. Mud, leaves, and smaller rocks gathered into solid mass on the top cracks - filling in the original openings, and animals dug a new series of tunnels. It was awesome!
I started to squeeze my body into the larger opening, and realized I actually could have snaked my way all the way to the back... but did I want to?
The inner rock was jagged on some edges, it seems perfectly dry and clean in there - I did not smell animal urine and the only tracks i saw looked like a micro tiny deer shaped print (possibly a small pig?) I squiggled my way forward...
In the back of the crevice the rocks piled upward like tiny steps - there was a strong breeze of clean pure air blowing directly in my face. I was told that the cold air blowing out the hole meant the cave went deep underground. The stone 'steps' led up to a sharp left turn, and it looked as though maybe a right turn too! I wish I was an animal this size and could just move in, a cave seems like a really nice place to stay.
But Alas- I hadnt really gone too far back because I started thinking about the possibility of the creature who lived there getting pissed and me being stuffed in the crack with it biting my face like some kind of 80's horror film gremlin. So, I squeezed back out and will try again another day. :)XoXO00

Into The (somewhat) Wild

Nature is at it's summer peak, where everything is almost as big and tall as it's gonna get - animals have been pretty well fed, and things are relatively peaceful and quiet. The first thing I saw at the beginning of this trail was an Eastern Box Turtle closed up in it's shell! Cool! This particular spot is usually an active nook near some large rocks, where there's been a bobcat track, possible bobcat sighting, chipmunks, animals trails and dead animal smells. The turtle has the best armor and could tell all was pretty calm for it's afternoon stroll.
Walking along there are patches that make be feel downright tarzan, it gets wild with giant grape vines, hardy jewel weed, and poison ivy climbing high up into the tops of trees. (I have lucked out, cause of all the stupid things I am allergic to, poison ivy is not one of them! yippee!)
The overgrowth of tiny micro mushrooms here is so magical, it's straight out of a fairytale. They spread out all over the ground, on the trail, and then climb up the dead tree stump. Mushrooms love dead trees. :)
There's a barbed wire fence along part of the trail that separates the property from a cow field. I have to admit I have jumped this fence a few times just to look at the flowers and trees on the other side - hoping there was no bull in the area. Everytime was totally worth it.On my way back home I saw this new animal hole dug under a huge rock - seems like a good place to live. Makes me wish I was (more of) an animal.
XoXo

Animal Holes

As much as people would like to consider all the critters that visit our back yards pests, they are an integral part of our eco system and have every right to check out what you throw in your trash can and then dig a little happy home in the ground. I probably shouldn't tell this story because it is so awful, but when I was about 10 years old my very best friend called to tell me baby raccoons were born and living in a oak tree stump in her back yard.!!! YAY! A few days later she called crying, saying her dad filled the hole with CEMENT with the baby raccoons in there to kill them - snuff them out like they were an infestation of cockroaches. She invited me over to see for myself, which basically traumatized me upon sight and I tried digging my fingers into the concrete to free them. Environmental ignorance is long past due it's death, and it's time to nurture the importance of biodiversity & the creatures that make nature the place we seek when we want peace.
Check out these cute little animal holes behind my house (which will never be filled with cement)!





What do they do when it rains? Does anyone know?