Do not be fooled by its cute fuzzy garb, or its seasonally appropriate appearance – the rabbit is one of the garden’s most destructive enemies. My own Easter bunny trauma aside, I happen to adore these woodland creatures, so I put up with a certain degree of destruction – such as chewed up bamboo plants or foot-high bark peeling of the dogwood trees. In fact, something ate the ever green boughs underneath which this puffball sits. Strange that it wouldn’t think not to harm the source of shelter, but they’re no different from any other creature whose main instinct is survival – reason and planning for the future fall by the wayside when the task at hand is merely surviving a winter of starvation. For that reason, my heart softens a bit, and forgives the loss of some bamboo and fir boughs. At this point in our gardens, nothing is so precious that it can’t be a gift to a hungry rabbit.
This particular character is a happy sign of life returning to the outside world. Robins and blue jays and cardinals have already been chirping and flying to and fro in the front yard, while the squirrels have been making their usual ruckus in the backyard. Spring breathes new life into our surroundings. The world stirs, the land twitches, and the ice melts. The journey begins…
