Last night, just as it was getting dark, my wife was hand watering our trees . Suddenly something small and furry shot out of the grass and gave her a bit of start. She shrieked and I jumped into action. I bravely chased down this furry little flash and quickly discovered it was a very frightened baby cotton tail.
The poor little thing was scared to death. It’s tiny little rabbit heart was pounding out about a million beats per minute. I picked it up and held it close. I gently rubbed its little head and rabbit ears and it slowly calmed down long enough for us to get some pictures. After we took the attached pics, we took it back out to its burrow.
This rabbit burrow was very interesting to me. Somehow the mom had hollowed out a den by burrowing under bermuda runners. She had lined this with her fur. All of this was neatly camoflagued under a pile off dried grass that was left over from our last mowing and weed eating.
Since we just mowed a couple of weks ago, and this little guy looked half grown, I was curious about how quickly rabbits mature. According to the National Geographic, cotton tails are born completely helpless. In fact they are so helpless that only about 15% of all babies born survive. The ones that do are weaned at three weeks and leave the nest at seven weeks. So, I guess we won’t be mowing around that tree for a while.
All the time that I was holding the little bunny, my country mind kept telling me that I should make this little guy one of the 85% of bunnies that don’t make it to adulthood. But I knew I couldn’t do it. Eventhough I know that in about four weeks this little guy and his siblings will be in my garden eating my lettuce and spinach shoots I am just going to let it happen. Watching the few rabbits I have on my property gives me almost as much pleasure as growing the vegetables that they feast upon. And, since I don’t really rely on the garden to feed me, I don’t mind sharing my harvest with a couple of bunnies.
When that bunny grows up he is going to tell all the other bunnies about how he was once abducted by aliens and taken into their lair and no one will believe him.
I am not making this up. I thought the exact same thing as i was putting him back in his little bunny house
Awww. So cute! Thanks for being a kindhearted gardener and not including this little one in the 85% category. I too enjoy these little fellows. Having just moved to the hill country, I was delighted when a wild bunny slightly larger than yours, popped out of my flowerbed recently.
Thanks Jop! Hope you are enjoying your new Hill Country home
I used to have house rabbits so I have a bunny softspot. Sadly my dog does a very good job of keeping bunnies out of our yard, sometimes with sad results. It’s nice to see someone that can have a bun-friendly garden.
Thanks for the comment. Ireally do like watching the bunnies. Almost every year I have a bunny that discovers the garden. I watch until I know its schedule then I go out with a chair and just sit and watch as it nibbles its way around the garden.
I’m so glad you spared the bunny. I buy extra sunflower seeds for the birds and my teenage squirrel who lives in the big oak next door. We are beside the Federal Reserve at Highway 6 and I 10. There are still deer, coyotes and other furry folks living there. One night I took the dog out late and saw a huge owl skimming down my street looking like she had supper in mind. I let the creatures have it their way and just enjoy living in the same neighborhood.
It is so nice that you have all of that nature right there in city. I would have loved to see that owl.
Love the pics!!!
Thanks Ang. Sally and I really enjoyed seeing you in San Antonio. Let’s not wait a year to see each other again