May 23rd, 2018

This is the wild bunny that apparently lives in our backyard.  I was going to say that it was our wild bunny but I suppose a wild animal doesn't really belong to anyone but itself.  Still, any afternoon I can count on taking a peek into the backyard and seeing this little one either resting in the shade, completely relaxed, totally unafraid of anyone bothering it or munching on clover.  

There is this bizarre-palm tree in the back that is not very tall, roughly my height, and the fronds well they are weird.  While some of them seem to stick up in the air like cowlicks, the rest,  instead of growing straight out from the trunk  like a "normal" palm tree, seem to grow down so it's tent-like.  At the lower levels, the fronds actually touch the ground.  If it starts to rain or something startles this rabbit, he rushes for that palm tree tent and hides in there.  Clever rabbit.

Yesterday afternoon while I was vacuuming, I happened to look outside and saw not just the bunny, but also a cardinal, a scrub jay (looks just like a regular bluejay to me) and one of those giant white birds, all hanging out together.  Must have been an important meeting.  I didn't get the memo.

While I do ridiculously and randomly assign names to any of the lizards that we see hanging out in the front courtyard, I have oddly not named this bunny.  I'm not sure why I have not. It's not as if I expected any of the wild creatures that I name to answer to that name. I'm sure they have their own way of identifying each other and themselves.  Hmmm.  I wonder if they do?  In lizard-speak or bunny language or bird-talk do they name their babies as humans do?  I suppose we will never know the answer to that but it is an intriguing thought.  

I know that bees and wasps and ants have a hive-mentality. They probably do not have names. They are just identical workers, doing their mindless jobs all day every day to satisfy the queen and their instincts.  They don't have to worry about memorizing social security numbers or filling out employment forms so they probably have no need to names or separate identities for that matter.

But other creatures are different.  I have seen Mama kitties call their babies when they wander off.  I've watched nature shows where mother bears call their cubs and give them specific directions. Mother ducks have their little ducklings in the perfect row following behind them and if one of them accidentally gets out of line, she is right there setting them straight.  So there must be some sort of communication going on.  Whether or not that communication involves a specific and individual identity I do not know.  Maybe it's just "Hey you!"

Perhaps the fact that a dog will come when it's called by the name we have given it merely means that the dog has associated that sound, "Rover" with you wanting the dog to come to you.  Dogs are always eager to please us.  Whereas, as any cat owner will tell  you, a cat may be aware of the name you have given it but that doesn't mean it will come when you call.  It doesn't mean the cat is stupid.  It just means the cat doesn't want to come to you at just that moment.  They do not seem to be as eager to please as dogs.

Meanwhile, anytime I am in the backyard at the same time as this bunny, I tread cautiously.  I really do not intend to frighten it. We can share the space.  If I see the bunny, I make certain to walk in a wide arc around it so that it knows I mean it no harm.  My gentle action must be working because the last time we happened to be in the same area at the same time, it didn't scurry away like usual.  It watched me carefully the entire time, entire body on high alert, but it didn't run and I consider that a win.

​Perhaps one day I will figure out it's name.