Country Critters
As I backed out of my parking spot and swung around on our gravel drive the other day, I noticed a tall black bird strolling along our covered, wrap-around porch. I slowed the car to get a better look. It was a turkey. Not our turkey, just visiting. Sooner or later, it seems, everyone in the neighborhood with feathers or fur drops by.We're planning some landscaping improvements, but we know the lawn will soon be pocked with gopher mounds, and that unless we build deer fencing most of the things we plant will serve as a smorgasbord. We'd like to get another goat to keep the berry vines in check, but a bear killed the last one. Our neighbors' cows break through the fencing and trample our shrubs, bats fly into the house, and raccoons leave lovely parting gifts on our decking every morning.
On the other hand, I enjoy watching the quail bob and peck in the yard on sunny mornings, and I check for the fox that comes by nearly every afternoon. A particularly handsome hawk likes to hunt in the upper field, and several generations of swallows have tucked their nests beneath the gables.
Our house and yard may not have that spotless and manicured look, but most of the visitors don't seem to care.
posted by Terry McLaughlin @ 9:39 AM
5 Comments:
Your place sounds heavenly, Terry. I'm convinced the only "perfect" lawns and gardens are in gardening magazines and on the ChemLawn brochures that keep appearing on our mailbox. What, they think my grass/weed/dandelion mixture front lawn isn't attractive? :)
A bear killed your goat?! Yikes. I can relate with the raccoons, skunks, coyotes, hawks and gophers, but lion and tigers and bears...oh my! Anyhow, you might want to check into deer resistant plants! You need to post a picture of your yard for us!
I live in the suburbs, but sometimes we have deer walk through the back yard. Once a red fox chased our cat up onto our deck. And every year a pileated woodpecker makes a nuisance of himself in the spring. And a long time ago our neighbor heard a wildcat's roar.
Diane
Can I come visit, Terry?
When we first moved to Texas, one morning at dawn my husband looked out the back window and saw a six-point buck silhouetted against the rising sun, while a pair of armadillos weaved in and out of his front legs.
"Where the deer and the armadillo play..."
It's too bad dandelions are considered a weed, Trish, because they're not really all that ugly and so much fun to play with when they go to seed!
We do plant mostly deer-resistant plants beyond the boundaries of our yard, Theresa--lots of dandelions and nasturtiums. But since we've had to keep the dogs inside or penned up (they were caught chasing the neighbors' livestock), the deer are free to slip in and nibble at the flowers right next to the house.
I'm terrified of meeting up with a wildcat, Diane. We haven't seen any around here, but some friends near a neighboring town have had some problems with them.
Armadillos and deer? I wish I'd seen that, Bridget.
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