Sunday, July 17, 2005
Back to Nature
Shelly thinks I'm weird, because I like to look for, spot, and point out animals. I can see a dog from a block away. And in Cambridge, that's about all I ever saw. But here at our new place in Virginia, which actually abuts a small area of woods, we have some bona fide wildlife.
The first day we came into our house, we were going around cleaning it up (that's another story), and I looked out onto the back patio, and what did my wondering eyes behold but a medium-sized tortoise. I don't know what particular species he was, but he had bright orange streaks on his shell and head, and he was just lumbering around on our bricks, possibly to get out of the rain (though wouldn't he just have to pull his head inside his shell--er, house?).
The other day I went outside and was startled as a toad hopped away from under my stride. I chased him around a bit, and offered to show Shelly where he was, but she wasn't interested.
And of course, we've got our share of squirrels and birds. (Okay, I saw those in Cambridge too. Once, I also saw a couple of raccoons, as I recall. But I'm talking about Virginia.)
But my favorites are the fireflies. I don't know if individually they're significant enough to call "wildlife," but they are one of the reasons I'm willing to put up with the dampness and heat of a DC summer. Every night at dusk, the place lights up with little green dots. They move so slowly, it's almost entrancing. I'm excited for when my little girl is big enough to chase after them. I'll be right behind her.
The first day we came into our house, we were going around cleaning it up (that's another story), and I looked out onto the back patio, and what did my wondering eyes behold but a medium-sized tortoise. I don't know what particular species he was, but he had bright orange streaks on his shell and head, and he was just lumbering around on our bricks, possibly to get out of the rain (though wouldn't he just have to pull his head inside his shell--er, house?).
The other day I went outside and was startled as a toad hopped away from under my stride. I chased him around a bit, and offered to show Shelly where he was, but she wasn't interested.
And of course, we've got our share of squirrels and birds. (Okay, I saw those in Cambridge too. Once, I also saw a couple of raccoons, as I recall. But I'm talking about Virginia.)
But my favorites are the fireflies. I don't know if individually they're significant enough to call "wildlife," but they are one of the reasons I'm willing to put up with the dampness and heat of a DC summer. Every night at dusk, the place lights up with little green dots. They move so slowly, it's almost entrancing. I'm excited for when my little girl is big enough to chase after them. I'll be right behind her.
