I don’t seem able to attract nesting screech owls to my garden anymore, alas. (Lots of other owl boxes out there to choose from, maybe?). But my garden sure does attract plenty of baby deer. Hmm, I don’t think I’ve come out on the winning side of that tradeoff. But I’ll admit the fawns are awfully cute whenever I discover one “hidden” in the garden.
This little one was tucked up in the sedge lawn this week, holding still as I stepped out to go for a walk.
It moved around a bit over the course of a few hours, waiting patiently for mom to come back…
…eyes watchful and those big ears swiveling as construction workers made a racket at the house across the street. It may not have been the quietest place to bed down, but it looked comfy enough.
That evening, a doe showed up with twins, and I wondered if she’d hidden them separately while she went off to browse.
They trailed her closely as she investigated the island bed…
…and then ambled across the drive to crop a mouthful of dianella. I know she doesn’t even like that dianella, but she took a bite just to make sure, I guess.
After a bit of nosing around, they melted into the grasses and were gone — for now.
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Digging Deeper
June 1-2: Take a self-guided, 2-day tour of ponds and gardens in and around Austin on the annual Austin Pond and Garden Tour, held 6/1 and 6/2, 9 am to 5 pm. Tickets are $20 to $25.
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