Wildlife

This little fellow was found near our peony Sunday and was quickly named "Toadbert." After many photos and lots of "look how cute his face is, Mom!" he was released outside the fence, as Ivy, our 9-month-old St. Bernard, also thought he looked adorable - and kind of yummy.

It just so happens that we have a lot of wildlife in our yard, dead and alive.

Let me explain.

Earlier this spring Ivy found a bird.

It was dead.

She played with it, raced with it, tossed it and wanted to call it her very own.

Fortunately dh Michael was home to "rescue" the body and give it an appropriate resting place, a la garbage.

We also have a lot of of live birds in our yard, foraging for worms in the garden, hopping in the grass, nesting in the large bush by the porch, and singing -oh, the singing - that starts just before dawn every morning.

They are very happy birds.

We know there are raccoons nearby, occasionally we see one investigating the neighbor's trash can, the lid of which is never closed. We first met the neighborhood raccoons shortly after we moved in 3 years ago. One of the kids left the van door open and it stayed open until past dark, when said errant child was sent out to remedy the situation and close that door.

No harm done.

We thought.

This was early August, and early August in Iowa is hot and humid.

Really, really hot.

And especially humid.

Two days later when we were headed out on an errand, my son came roaring into the house, "There's something in the van!"

I wont' go into the gory details, but apparently a young raccoon, in an effort to welcome us to the neighborhood, jumped in the open door of the van, which we then shut. The poor thing was trapped in there for nearly 36 hours in the heat. It pooped and peed throughout the vehicle, ripped and chewed through cables, upholstery and rugs. The poor guy even chewed off the weather stripping around the windows in his desperate attempt to escape.

I still can't believe he survived.

It was sort of a first for the car cleaning industry here in Des Moines, too. No one had ever, ever heard of that happening before.

It had to be me.

That little introduction cost $900, though if I remember correctly, insurance covered most of it.

Oh, the wildlife abounds. Feral cats roam throughout our yard, the occasional stray dog squeezes under the fence to gawk at our chickens, and the squirrels taste-test our strawberries and other garden goodies to insure they're edible.

Somewhere in the yard lives a family of bunnies. Fortunately, our yard is full of clover, dandelions and a variety of other greens, so they only borrow a little of our lettuce.

We have lady bugs, preying mantids, and walking sticks. Oh, and I nearly forgot the wasps who live in a hole near a tree stump and like to visit us in the house whenever they can squeeze through the gaps in our century-old screens.

And just last Sunday, Ivy sneaked through the gate into our garden and headed straight for the weedy flower bed up against the house. I dashed in to corral her just as she grabbed for her prize - a dead animal!

In the weeds!

It was a short-lived, but joyous occasion for her.

I screamed - a dead animal! - as I heaved at her collar with all my might.

Fortunately, she dropped the "prize," I smiled politely at the neighbors watching from their porch, and called for Michael.

Sadly, we don't know who it was that came into our yard to die. Michael didn't bother to check. Nature had been working on it for quite a while, so discerning its species would have taken a darn close inspection, though I did notice it had fur.

So, while me may reside in the heart Des Moines, many blocks past where most people feel "safe," at least the wildlife still comes to visit.

Though I do wish they'd stop dying in my yard.