Food for Thought

[F, Calla & Luca]

From the New York Review of Books.
http://www.nybooks.com/shared/e1ccfcc0aaf7b6807bab900a21df8c79

[Charlotte and Bo]

We "sprawl" because we must.  They "sprawl" because they must.  Man and nature are bound to meet in what were once unlikely places.  There is a certain fascination in finding an unlikely wild thing in our own backyards, but if that wild thing is a large predator it becomes less fascinating and more alarming. Nature adapts.  I guess we will have to do the same, but better minds than mine will have to figure that out .

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Wow F. so much information in this article. I agree that the woodland creatures are making their appearances more but I think the fox in a courtyard in town is still a very rare thing. Who knows why they ended up there but still certainly a rarity.

The deer population is very high here in OH, I wonder why they don't implement the same program they did with the raccoon and offer sterilization in controlled feed areas, maybe you can't sterilize through feed in deer. It is a shame when they take a beautiful animal down in an organized killing, which is what they do here in Solon OH. I get it, but it's still sad.

I did find the article interesting concerning the regrowth of the forest. While reading it I realized it really is true that the trees are coming back and thank goodness.

As a child the meadow/woods behind our home was taken over by a new neighborhood being built and for two summers in a row my brother and I played in the giant cauldrons that were to be the waterway underbelly in ground for those homes. I remember feeling a sense of sadness, even at the young age of 8 that the trees we climbed the year before were gone. I would rather lay on my back on the earth looking up at the clouds then on the top of concrete any day,

Still, all in all, it is wonderful to see wildlife in my backyard, I love seeing a deer eat from a tree while I am secretly watching from my window inside or the random red fox, rabbits and yes even the skunk scurry by in search of a place to eat or just pass through. That being said, they must know better by now, to stay OUT of a certain NJ yard, LOL

[F, Calla & Luca]

It's interesting what was said about the trees. In some of our parklands here, the deer have browsed all but the tall trees to oblivion. Son there is no understory of trees, shrubbery etc. One day it will be a moonscape. They have tried fencing off some acreage to allow saplings to grow so there will be a forest when the tall trees die and to give the smaller critters some place to live.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

We have a red fox family that lives in our village.  They they don't seem the least bit afraid of people.  Very interesting article, F.

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

We often have woodland visitors to our new home - not surprising though as we live in "the hills" on the outskirts of town.  I'm not crazy about the skunks that were digging up the backyard looking for grubs or the bobcat strolling by, but I really don't mind the deer.  We don't offer them tomato plants or berry bushes, but they still seem to find plenty to eat.

[Christine & Camus]

Fascinating article, I'm tempted to buy the book.  Never really gave much thought to how wildlife seemed to be getting more familiar with humans, but it has been happening since the beginning of time. Since I was a kid my dream home has always been located in a wooded area where plants, trees, and animals were my closest neighbors.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

We have the same issues here but the deer are Blacktails rather than Whitetails. We are hearing of more aggressiveness in the deer in recent years. Here is an article from one of our local papers (Ashland is about 10 miles from Medford and we spend a lot of time there).

ASHLAND, Ore. -- An Oregon couple and their two dogs are the most recent victims of seasonal attacks by aggressive deer, which has become an annual problem in Ashland.

Cyd and Gary Ropp told the Daily Tidings they were walking their two dogs near Ashland's downtown Post Office last weekend when a deer reared up on its hind legs and attacked the dogs.

The attack lasted for more than three minutes and left the couple bloody and bruised from falling on the pavement to avoid the doe, as they tried to protect their dogs.

The dogs were not injured. But Cyd Ropp called the attack "frightening."

And I believe I mentioned before that a deer attacked my cat while she was outside on her tether. Several  days ago I found her face to face with a raccoon. OMD!

I think there are many valid points made in the article. There has certainly been an imbalance created in nature by the actions or inaction of humans.  Seems like we're good at that.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Oh my deer, vicious deer.

[Becka]

Deer can be very pushy! When I worked as a volunteer at a raptor rehabilitation center, one of my tasks was to fill a bunch of bird feeders in an observing area. The local deer (sometimes as many as 8 or 9 at once) could always hear me putting out the corn and millet and would come running, and if I didn't finish filling the feeders fast enough to suit them, they'd start stamping their feet like impatient children!

[F, Calla & Luca]

That deer story is scary.  Sad all round.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Definitely food for thought.

[DJ & Chance]

This was a very worthwhile read.  I would like to think that humans have more control over their expansive behavior than other animals, but human history is proving me wrong.