I hate the look of chainlink fencing, but I'm hesitant to do anything about screening off my view of the chainlink fence that borders the east side of the garden. It's not my fence, although I could put bamboo fencing in front of it. I haven't because then I wouldn't be able to see the wildlife on the other side, such as the Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets, and this morning's drama of the fox.
I love the fox. When I started this blog during the summer of 2007, the rabbits were squeezing into the back garden to feast, and I found myself chasing after them with a shovel in a bizarro version of Mr. McGregor chasing after Peter Rabbit. Since the Squirrelhaven version of Mr. Tod moved in the following year, I've had no rabbit problems. We didn't see our fox until last summer, when I caught a quick glimpse out front. Then VIS saw it one evening. A week ago, the girl and I got our first good look at the fox trotting across the frozen pond out back. (The fox has since been christened Vulpes, in honor of a book she just wrote a report on, Vulpes, the Red Fox, by Jean Craighead George.)
This morning, I opened the curtains to find Vulpes lounging on the bank of the pond under a Weeping Willow, scratching and basking in the sun.
Vulpes sat there so long I was able to take a few photos through the window. (I was sorely missing my old SLR film camera with its super-mega zoom lens. If I had batteries for it, I would have taken photos with it.)
I finally figured out what Vulpes was up to, when I noticed the gray squirrel Cherry sneaking down the side of the willow. Clearly, Vulpes had treed Cherry and was waiting for it to make a break for it. Although Vulpes was looking the other way, Cherry didn't get two steps from the tree before Vulpes sprang up and lunged for the squirrel.
To Vulpes' dismay, the squirrel made it back safely to the tree.
I felt so bad for the fox when Cherry finally figured out how to get from the Weeping Willow to the Boxelder and then safely to the ground on the Squirrelhaven side of the fence. Vulpes gazed at it sadly for a little while,
then gave it up as a lost cause.
Having to look at an ugly fence is a small price to pay for the privilege of watching such a beautiful wild creature. What wildlife have you seen from your house?
* * * Please join me in the Great Houseplant Census, on Tuesday. I really want to know how many houseplants you have.