Baby Bunnies

[renaldo75]

This morning Sara discovered a nest of baby bunnies in the yard. Their eyes aren't quite open yet. Adorable little guys. She saw a big garter snake in the grass NW of the house that was real interested in one spot & then a rabbit was coming onto the grass from the north like it was concerned. Sara kicked the snake away & then discovered the nest that had 5 little bunnies in it. She came in out of breath to tell me what she'd found!! I hadn't seen her that excited about anything since she was 7 or 8. Pretty !!

This spot is not very far from where I've been working on the new hosta bed the last few days. I'd mowed right over them earlier in the week.

Sara said she had picked one of them up 'to make sure it was alright'. And she was going to again when I was taking the pics. I told her not to - that the mother might reject them if she smelled human on her babies. Not sure that's right or not, but I know it is with birds & it makes sense. Hopefully the contact was minimal enough that mama will still take care of them. If not we'll be trying to breastfeed 5 adorable little hosta nibblers.

I have seen the mother around all spring, but I guess there's been plenty of greens to munch on that are more tender than hostas cuz she hasn't bothered any of them at all.

[Patrushka]

They are adorable Reldon! How that Sara discovered them. Thanks for sharing the pics. Years ago, DH ran over a bunny nest with the riding mower at my parents' cottage in Wisconsin. No baby bunnies were harmed.

I wonder if we have a nest hiding somewhere. I've been seeing Mama in the daylily/iris bed. My Heuchera 'Obsidian' and double Rudbeckia have vanished. Obsidian was resprouting and is now gone again. The latest victims were a daylily struggling to grow and a nice size sprout in Hibiscus 'Plum Crazy'. I MUST get some Liquid Fence.

[thy]

So cool

..and thanks for the explanation.. I was going to ask you what was up and what to be down.. butt it was

So now you just give her some good thing.. then she and the babies don't eat your hostas

Think to hand thing is blown up.. latest here is to bring them back where they were found.. and if they are found by their mother.. it seems to be fine

[baja220]

How cute!!!! Is the next just in the open yard? Better watch that snake. He's lookin for an easy snack.

Debbie

[renaldo75]

Thanks, ladies.

Yep - it's just a kind of hole that's been dug into the ground. Several years ago we had some other rabbits that I suspect were raised in that same spot. I should have taken a pic of the top of the nest. It's got some bunny 'fluff' mixed in with dried grass. But the whole 'lid' was flush with the ground. I'd have never known it was there if Sara hadn't discovered it.

[Scaz]

Hmmm...

I have unhappy thoughts for you - for which I am sorry.

Adult rabbits in my back yard lounge about all day, grazing the clover patches and scattering like crazy when a cat or dog runs through.

Babie bunnies, undeniably cute, run rampant and rip tomatoes, hostas, and vine plants to shreds because they don't know what to eat so they try EVERYTHING.

I've lost 3 hostas to juvenile rabbit thugs so far this year. Why their mommas don't teach them to stay in the clover patches, I don't know. Maybe it's a consequence of living in the city.

[renaldo75]

I've had the same thoughts, Scaz - but..... This momma hasn't bothered one hosta this year. I think it was the same one here last year as a juvenile & there was just minimal damage to a few hostas. I think part of the secret is to let some of the weeds grow. Not a problem here. I saw whole little patches of tender young weeds munched down to just stems sticking out of the ground last year. The same this spring with larkspur that has selfseeded in LOTS of places here. Momma was muching on tender lacy larkspur leaves right next to hostas this spring. Apparently they're much better than tough hosta leaves even though she did nibble on a few last year. And then when you throw in the neighborhood cat population that patrols thru my yard, I'm sure the number of adorable bunnies will be decreasing when their presence has been detected.....

For now I'll go with adorable. And hopefully I won't have to look like too much.

[PeggyC]

They are so cute Reldon!! But oh yeah, they do grow up and become big bunnies. One year I had one hosta they absolutely adored and they kept it nibbled to the ground the entire year. And this on 6 acres!! But still... they are adorable and I couldn't kill them either!

[renaldo75]

Thanks, Peg.

[patsue53]

So cute! I take it you keep your kitties indoors? My cats do a real number on the rabbit population around here....a bunnie's nest, once discovered, is soon dessimated.

Fun that Sara got such a charge out of finding the bunnies.