She was sunning herself amidst my coreopsis when my shadow blocked the sun and sent her scurrying into the neighboring greenery. Actually I’m not sure of the gender, so perhaps I am writing about a male garden snake.
Earlier in the week, my daughter had pointed him or her out with the kind of tremor that voices reserve for major catastrophes. “It’s just a garter snake,” I replied.
“They are harmless and besides, it is eating the insets that are feasting on my daisies – or at least I hope so.”
The little reptile was gathering warmth from the flat piece of shale. It is only one of the many critters that inhabit the area near our cottage in Borodino. I waited and watched and, within minutes, his tiny head peeked out from under the spreading yew, no doubt scouting for the shadow maker, me.
I stayed on the other side of the sun and watched the snake him or her curl up again. I couldn’t help but think that as creatures go this one was about as harmless as they get, yet it engenders a lot of fear.
Chipmunks of an undetermined number also live in the area. One is exceedingly tame, bold or both. If you leave food, notably grapes or peanuts on the deck, the little creature will come, even if you are there, even if there are several people there, to gather all that it can fit into its mouth, running off to store, or at least that is what I think it is doing, its unexpected bounty.
The pair of birds that have built a nest under the eaves of the porch is not as trusting. You can watch them from the cover of the nearby trees, feeding their offspring several times each minute, keeping the insects on their side of the building to a minimum, recycling them into baby bird food. If you sit on the porch, however, one or both of the tiny parents will harangue you with loud chirps, refusing to feed the babies while you are there. We have had to abandon the porch for the duration for fear of starving the fledglings.
Pheasants and turkeys have been less visible this summer, but in past years, they have filled in their respective biological niches in the area, flying up in front of your car as you try to navigate what passes for a road on the way to the cottage. We have even seen eagles, majestically sitting on the highest branches of the trees as the road skims the edge of the gorge that it parallels. The eagles were gone from the Great Lakes region (which includes the Finger Lakes) for a long time, their absence attributed to the effect of DDT on the shells of their eggs. I have stopped the car just to watch the giant bird survey the shallows of Skaneateles Lake for fish. Absolutely breathtaking! You can readily see why so many peoples have chosen the eagle as a totem.
A neighbor, several camps to the south, reported two foxes setting up housekeeping under their cottage. Their attempt at removal, playing loud music, apparently only encouraged the pair as the cottagers reported increased activity which another neighbor attributed to (are you sitting down?) the fox trot.
My cottage, as well as those of my neighbors, is also home to any number of field mice, tiny creatures that seek the left behind clothing for warmth in the winter. It is not unusual for us to find clothing we have left in drawers shredded for nests where the next generation of the little rodents have been born and reared. They are far less intrusive as the weather warms and while they may make a nocturnal foray into the innards of the house seeking any left our food, they generally stay out of the bureaus and our clothing in the summer. I must confess that ever since I watched the movie, “The Secret of NIMH,” all mice seem to be Mrs. Brisbee and while I am careful about their, how shall I put this … exhaust, I can only see them as tiny families trying to survive.
It has occurred to me that we often interact with the wildlife in our environment with violence, seeking to eliminate them with poison, traps and such. If I stop and think a bit, they … the snakes, the birds, the chipmunks, squirrels, mice and such … are simply being what they are, trying to make it through their short existences as they were designed, dare I say it, by God. None of them sells drugs, builds weapons of mass destruction, wages war or intentionally harms others except as genetically programmed for survival. While I can’t be sure of this, not one of them has caused harm by gossip or ego. It always amazes me that we require animals, not blessed with human intellect, to behave better than humans. Maybe, as I get older, I am more attuned to the fragility of life and its value. At least, I hope that I am.
