Backyard Critter

There is a rabbit named Melvin that lives in my backyard. He stays around the back of my house and eats the grass and dandelions. I only see him occasionally, but I was able to take a picture of him today. He has gotten much bigger over the past few weeks. He was a very small baby bunny the first time I saw him a month ago. He usually comes out between 8:00 and 9:00 each day.

His mother, Tango, lives farther away in my backyard, down by my garden. She is getting bigger too. Last year, she would hang out in my garden, but never ate or chewed on any of the plants, so I didn't exterminate her. One time last year, early in the morning, I walked down to water my vegetables, and I saw Tango stretched out, reclining underneath my tomato plants, lying on her back with her feet up in the air, the way a dog or cat would lounge around the house.

She was about ten to fifteen feet away from me, and wouldn't move. At first I thought that she might be dead, but I could see her breathing and her eyes were fixed on me. I could tell that I had startled her and that she had probably been sleeping when I walked up. She just laid there watching me, obviously waiting for me to turn my back so she could run away. Finally, I shot her in the arse with a quick burst from my water hose and she took off leaping into the woods.

I haven't been able to get a picture of Tango, yet. I know there is a mole that lives in my backyard too, but I haven't been able to see it in action. There are also whitetail deer that visit because I have seen their fresh tracks trailing through my garden too. Lucky for them, it's not hunting season yet.