My Back yard is a haven for a dozen varieties of birds, with at least 5 full nests all season, along with squirrels, bunnies escaping Easter captivity, lizards, toads, racoons, and, of course, insects. I love watching the mallards waddling through, the mourning doves teaching their young to fly off from our fence, the bunnies scurrying out from their bedroom under the deck to hop over to the neighbor’s garden for a meal, the hummingbirds making it clear to the feral cat that he is not welcome here, the bees and butterflies (far too few these days) sipping goodies from the flowers. It’s all wonderfully entertaining. It makes me feel at peace.
EXCEPT WHEN I WANT TO KILL THAT RACOON! I can put up with his paw prints circling the pool a dozen times, but I fear for my dog at night, not knowing which one would win in a confrontation. What makes me murderous, though, is what has been happening recently: little skeletons with tufts of fur attached and no flesh, strewn across the lawn. My heart broke when I saw the remains of one of my favorite animal tenants, a black squirrel who loved to run back and forth all day along the back fence. I want to catch that critter and…and…and….
Now, wait a minute. Raccoons have to eat, too. They’re not fussy eaters and will eat plants or whatever small animals that are handy. So, what am I doing–providing habitat for a multitude of nature’s creatures or a supermarket for a raccoon?
Therein lies my dilemma. What makes the raccoon any less worthy in my mind? Aren’t the other animals and insects in my yard also eating each other? Should I put in AstroTurf and cement and plastic shrubs, forcing the carnage to go elsewhere, out of my sight?
I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to learn to enjoy the beauty of nature without over-thinking what’s going on. I guess I’m really just an Unsure Environmentalist.