2280 Nature Nurture

Teenagers. The other day there were a couple of young bucks in my yard and they were totally tearing up my landscaping. "Hey!" I yelled, and started to chase them. They first gave me that surly "Who the heck do you think you are?" look, then ran off.

An ordinary suburban event perhaps, except it actually involved bucks. Two young male deer, eating the broccoli-like heads off the sedum plants in my yard. Oddly, they still seemed to have that contempt for oldsters in their eyes you see in teenagers everywhere.

Cross-species 'tude, ya gotta love it.

The thing is, it's actually ordinary to see deer in the neighborhood these days. And tons of advice is published warning of a particular plant’s appetizing qualities to deer. Us outdoor gardeners usually only had to worry about snails and slugs. Deer are a lot quicker. 

I saw a Bald Eagle the other day. And he was flying through downtown. It kind of made me wonder if indeed animals are adapting to us. As long as we don't outright poison them. It's certainly an everyday occurrence in my neck of the non-woods to see possum, raccoons, and the occasional black-tailed weasel. I even saw a porcupine lumbering down the street. 

It makes me feel a little better about the upcoming apocalypse. With cellphone apps defunct, it would be nice to have some of these animals handy in the neighborhood so I don't have to wander in the forest. What I'm saying is, these are all game animals used by our forbears to get along for furs and needles and leather. And good old possum pie.

I'll keep my sedum planted. I might just be able to drop a buck or two for a nice winter feast.  

Old men can be tricky. 

America, ya gotta love it.