Today I heard what sounded like a couple of chatty birds in our cedar tree. Until this Mom and her three kits climbed down the trunk. Boy, did she have her opposable thumbs full. One rascal kept trying to scamper up a tree in the neighbor's yard. Mom obviously wanted him to wait for his more timid siblings, because she tackled him to the ground and held him there until the others arrived. I can't say I'm thrilled about our new neighbors. I'm gonna keep a real close eye on our pups, and our garbage can.
Well, that explains why my red-twig dogwood tree isn't growing. And this little lady isn't shy. Not a bit of zoom on my camera to get this shot.
I spat out a sharp, "No!" but she didn't budge; she gobbled. Come to think of it, that's just what I would do if I were eating M&Ms and someone told me to stop. Only when I reached out to pet her did she back up and re-join her buds in the field--clearly hesitant to leave her treat behind. Time to transplant the dogwood! I've been seeing young bucks roaming my back yard every day this summer. Not sure why--usually it's just the does and their fawns. Maybe the unusual drought is bringing them to my birdbath. Today this young buck in velvet, about ten feet away, hung out with me while I separated my recycling. We had a nice chat. I told him I really appreciated him cleaning up the cherries that had fallen from the tree. Thankfully the deer turn up their noses at my sweet peas and cherry tomatoes.
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AuthorBonnie, a nature lover, is the author of twenty-eight heart-to-heart gift books full of animal and nature images, plus one inspiring book on interfaith understanding. Archives
June 2021
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