By Lois E. Wilson
For over thirty years, we have lived in a wooded, residential area outside the city limits. The developer made certain when the roads and home plots were planned to conserve as many old-growth trees as possible. Most of the trees are oaks. There are farm fields and a creek nearby. Many days when I look out a window, I am fortunate to see some kind of wildlife. Squirrels are always scampering up and down the trees. In autumn they gather acorns for winter. There are also chipmunks which hide in the flower beds. One year some were able to find a way into a neighbor’s attic. I like to watch them, but have no desire to provide them room and board.
At times we have thought of the space under the deck as a nursery. For three years, a feral cat would bring her kittens there for a one or two-day stay. A year ago, a groundhog, after gnawing its way through the lattice, nested there. Its food supply was close at hand—or is it paw? One day I was driving on a country road east of town when I met a red fox carrying a fox kit in its mouth. It didn’t look my way or slow its pace; it was moving day and it was focused on its destination.
After dark we have seen raccoons. Most of the wildlife doesn’t cause any damage. A deer might chew on a few plants as it passes through. Rabbits may nest in the yard grass. One year we had to discourage a mole who tunneled around. At night I have never seen an opossum out and about; however, we know they are near. A skunk’s odor tells us when to beware of them.
We have an octagon–shaped window covered with louvers at the end of the attic. The house painter was surprised when a bat flew out. We screened the window to solve the problem. One sees an occasional field mouse; it’s best not to tempt them to stay around.
One day I saw a small toad clinging to brick on the house. Its whole body was a metallic-gray color. I have seen a total of three garter snakes in the yard. Two of them were curled up on bush branches about two feet off the ground. There are other crawly things: night crawlers, earthworms, and caterpillars—we eagerly await the butterflies to come, and they do.
We have the full scope of common birds. I put an owl replica on my front porch to discourage robins from nesting on the light there. That worked—now they use other places. However, last year I found a nest of tiny peach-colored eggs hidden in the pot of a porch plant. Once we had a great-horned owl nest in the hollow of an oak tree; when the owlets were big enough, the parents moved them to a tree in the neighbor’s yard where they cared for them. Another time I found a little gray owlet at the bottom of a tree in a flower bed. It clicked its beak rapidly to give me a warning.
A red hawk once swooped down and picked up a smaller bird from the feeder. A female cardinal came several springs and fought daily her reflected image in a window. I hung streamers to dissuade her—it didn’t work. We observe and hear the woodpeckers. My plants attract many hummingbirds and bees. One tree has a bee’s nest in it.
I do have a “Keep that away from me list” which I’ll ignore today. Some bugs have peak years of population: cicadas, ants, flies, lady bugs, spiders, praying mantis, crickets, grasshoppers, and this year—mosquitoes. If you go to the creek to watch the fish or look for snails and turtles, don’t forget repellant. And if you’re confined indoors, watch the wildlife activity through your window—it will relax you as you enjoy it.