vole

Spending time in nature often leads to surprising encounters that foster curiosity and uplift the spirit. Nature frequently presents the unexpected, ranging from the strange and unusual to the awe-inspiring. Here are a few recent encounters that stand out.

While taking a quiet walk around the boardwalk at the lake, we spotted a skeleton nestled among the Cypress knees, that at first glance, gave the spooky appearance of an owl, complete with oversized “eye sockets” and a nasal cavity. But appearances can be deceptive, especially when nature leaves only part of the puzzle behind.

A mobile app identified the object as a vertebrate pelvic bone, potentially from a bird such as a heron or an egret.

A second search suggested the object was the broken, inverted skull of a white-tailed deer. Given that I had seen the unidentifiable remains of a large animal with rib bones nearby earlier that month, this conclusion seemed more likely. So much for my spooky owl.

Recently, my husband went out in our backyard and found our two black labs and their mom in the vicinity of what appeared to be a dead opossum. As he used a shovel to remove it, he noticed the fur on its chest was slowly moving up and down. Out of fear, the opossum had entered a stress-induced comatose state—or was “playing possum”—to deter the dogs. Believing the animal was dead and repelled by the foul-smelling secretion it released, the dogs apparently lost interest and made no attempts to harm it.

The opossum was gently moved to the field in front of our house. After it regained its composure, we watched as it made its way into the tall weeds.

One evening, my dog Lily and I were out for a walk. We were strolling along when suddenly Lily stopped, stuck her head into the tall roadside grass and then gently tossed this little fellow out onto the road right in front of my feet.

I do not know who was more surprised, the vole or me. After regaining its composure, the vole wandered back into the habitat from which it had been so rudely plucked.

I have learned to observe Lily during our walks. She often points out wildlife that I would have otherwise missed.

These two photos were taken shortly before sunset. The sun reflected off a distant curtain of rain, creating a striking sun shower that formed an angel-like figure in the sky.