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May. 21st, 2022 04:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dsrmouseyStill writing seven days into surgery!!!
One night I heard all this commotion outside of my backdoor. Thinking one of my dogs had escaped, I stepped out to look around, and not seeing anything, I turned to go back inside, then suddenly I spied this poor grey critter, with red eyes and pink nose, backing up into my freshly raked leaf pile. It had a ratty tail, razor teeth, and was hissing at me, then suddenly it plopped over on its side.
Everyone asked if I was afraid, and I said no, chuckling, it was more afraid of me, than I it, and if I had this little critter in my yard, I wanted keep it there!
It was an opossum, North America's only marsupial, and they play dead as a natural defense to scare off predators.
Marsupials are mammels, and like their cousins kangaroos they carry their 'joeys' (about six through eight babies) in a pouch in their stomachs until they're old enough to emerge and start learning how to survive from their mamas.
Do you know how beneficial to gardens opossums are? Let me tell you, because I'm a huge fan of these harmless super heroes!
And it truly should be wearing a super hero outfit too! With its prehensile tail allowing it to swing and grab onto things like a monkey, plus it's white head marked with a grey arrow, it already has its own costume.
Now opossums may seem scary, but if you have one in your yard, you're lucky.
They're omnivores, nocturnal, and are opportunistic.
Oposssums eat all kinds of pests, including cockroaches, rats, snakes, and mosquitoes, mice, dead animals, frogs and eggs, and of course, garbage.
I decided the next day I was going to make my new buddy its own burrow. It would have plenty of space to roam in (I had nearly an acre) and it would keep my vegetable garden free of pests. I'd call that a win/win situation wouldn't you?
Now this required a trip to my favorite plant nursery (always a plus), for a hollowed out log, some nice greenery, and a fresh water source. We had a brook right behind our property in case 'Bandit' wanted to meander, but we also had foxes, hawks, and coyotes too, and I didn't want the predators making off with my opossum friend.
So we made a cozy space in the South West corner of our yard, and there Bandit lived happily chomping on bugs for about three years!
Oh, and we found out our Bandit was a girl when we caught sight of little teeny opossums one night chasing after mama! Opossums can live on their own once they reach eight inches long, so try not to disturb what you might think is a baby.
If you you ever see an opossum trying to be fierce, please remember all these things I told you, and be kind! You'll be be doing the environment a favor!
Thanks for listening!
One night I heard all this commotion outside of my backdoor. Thinking one of my dogs had escaped, I stepped out to look around, and not seeing anything, I turned to go back inside, then suddenly I spied this poor grey critter, with red eyes and pink nose, backing up into my freshly raked leaf pile. It had a ratty tail, razor teeth, and was hissing at me, then suddenly it plopped over on its side.
Everyone asked if I was afraid, and I said no, chuckling, it was more afraid of me, than I it, and if I had this little critter in my yard, I wanted keep it there!
It was an opossum, North America's only marsupial, and they play dead as a natural defense to scare off predators.
Marsupials are mammels, and like their cousins kangaroos they carry their 'joeys' (about six through eight babies) in a pouch in their stomachs until they're old enough to emerge and start learning how to survive from their mamas.
Do you know how beneficial to gardens opossums are? Let me tell you, because I'm a huge fan of these harmless super heroes!
And it truly should be wearing a super hero outfit too! With its prehensile tail allowing it to swing and grab onto things like a monkey, plus it's white head marked with a grey arrow, it already has its own costume.
Now opossums may seem scary, but if you have one in your yard, you're lucky.
They're omnivores, nocturnal, and are opportunistic.
Oposssums eat all kinds of pests, including cockroaches, rats, snakes, and mosquitoes, mice, dead animals, frogs and eggs, and of course, garbage.
I decided the next day I was going to make my new buddy its own burrow. It would have plenty of space to roam in (I had nearly an acre) and it would keep my vegetable garden free of pests. I'd call that a win/win situation wouldn't you?
Now this required a trip to my favorite plant nursery (always a plus), for a hollowed out log, some nice greenery, and a fresh water source. We had a brook right behind our property in case 'Bandit' wanted to meander, but we also had foxes, hawks, and coyotes too, and I didn't want the predators making off with my opossum friend.
So we made a cozy space in the South West corner of our yard, and there Bandit lived happily chomping on bugs for about three years!
Oh, and we found out our Bandit was a girl when we caught sight of little teeny opossums one night chasing after mama! Opossums can live on their own once they reach eight inches long, so try not to disturb what you might think is a baby.
If you you ever see an opossum trying to be fierce, please remember all these things I told you, and be kind! You'll be be doing the environment a favor!
Thanks for listening!
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Date: 2022-05-24 04:19 am (UTC)Oh, and I'm amazed too that I keep writing, but it actually keeps my thoughts from the pain. So there is that and this prompt came at a perfect time, rehab is kicking my butt. Peacs~~~Desiree
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Date: 2022-05-24 04:39 am (UTC)