Sharing our Space with Nature

My house was built in 1901, back before they put in the freeways and strip malls that now surround the neighborhood. The animals and plants that lived where my home now stands have long moved away and my house has seen generations upon generations of visitors over these past 100+ years. Newer homes and buildings in the area have nearly eliminated all of the open space around me, so I make an extra effort to make my yard welcoming to the wildlife that has no where else to go. When I moved in, I removed the concrete covering the backyard as soon as I could and planted flowering and fruiting plants, and I put out feeders and sources of water. It's a small, but very pleasant yard and I have frequent visits from birds and squirrels. I have also many times seen an opossum in the yard, hunting for snails and rotting fruit from the backyard trees..

Most of the time, the wildlife stays out in the yard, but occasionally I get a few unexpected house guests. A couple of times in the late afternoon, when I leave the back door of the house open to let in a breeze a hummingbird has lost its way and flow into my living room, confused by the ceiling light there. They eventually were coaxed back out by shutting off the living room light and turning on and off a sequence of lights that leads them back to the door. The same trick often works with the wayward bee or moth.


Another guest that finds the kitchen especially interesting is the Virginia Opossum. They will sometimes try to sneak in if I leave the door open in the evening to feast on the cat food inside. My guess is they have done this on several occasions, but I've only caught them a couple of times when they didn't escape quickly enough.

Opossums love to eat just about everything, but they're particularly fond of cat food and sweets. Last year, when my basement door wasn't latching properly, a set of opossum triplets moved into the basement for a rainy week. I have a projector and some chairs set up down there for watching movies. One evening I was down there alone in the dark watching a movie and I saw three little figures crawl down a ledge one by one, pass right by me feet, and make their way to the open door. I later found that they had devoured a full tub of peanut butter cups that was inadvertently left down there.  They are also very fond of popcorn.

In spite of the mischief these creatures may get in to, we are truly lucky that they come to stay in our neighborhoods and live with us in harmony. They are a reminder that there still exist wild and natural places and creatures all around us.

"In wildness is the preservation of the world."
--Henry David Thoreau