Without a house and yard full of dogs, our property has turned into a woodland wonderland. I never realized how much 6 dogs kept the critters in check. Not that we didn't have wildlife before, but now they are everywhere.
The rabbits have been the worst. Wrecking havoc on the memorial garden. They killed one burning bush that was for my cat by stripping away the bottom half of the bark. They chewed two other bushes all the way to the crown and gnawed my wild roses in half. All plants that I've had for years and years. I don't know how they survived, but they did. Thank goodness they didn't get the dogs roses.
Other creatures we are seeing is a couple of feral cats, who think they own the yard. I don't mind them, they are keeping the mice population down. But they will be in for a rude awakening when we do get another dog. There are opossums walking freely during the day and moles, who have taken over the yard. Fiona was our mole catcher, and they've gone crazy since she has been gone.
And if that wasn't enough, we have a chipmunk that makes daily in-home visits. We've tried everything to block where the little guy comes in, but to no avail. I haven't decided how I feel about him feeling so comfortable in our home, but I know I don't want him in there over the winter!
If you have ever heard of how the ecosystem was restored at Yellowstone when the introduced two wolves onto the park and how out of control the land was before the wolves were put on the scene. That's what it feels like at our house, an entire upset of the balance of nature. I need some predators to put things back in order.
In time...