Friday, May 29, 2009

Cottontails & Clover


Back in the ‘70s we had a large population of Cottontail Rabbits in our rural area. The population began to wane in the late seventies- early eighties. The population remained low for the next two decades. It is well known that their population is cyclical but this down cycle seemed exceedingly long.

Some surmised that possible causes of the decline could be linked to the changes in farming practices. Fencerows have been removed with the demise of the small diaries and replaced with larger crop fields thus removing much of the cover that once offered protection. Crop farming has changed from one of tilling the soil to where it is now a chemical intensive operation.

Many blame the increased population of predators. Hawks, owls, foxes and coyotes all shared the blame. During my youth hawks were considered creatures to be shot on sight and many rural folks did just that.

Today we are experiencing a resurgence in the Cottontail population. I first noticed this trend beginning a couple of summers ago. The local rabbit population is now the highest that I have seen since the decline began those many years ago.

Once again the beautiful sight of Cottontails & Clover can be enjoyed every evening

9 comments:

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

That is a great shot.
Blessings,Ruth

Anonymous said...

Cute photo! We have a gazillion little cottontails in our yard. I like having them - so far they have left my flowers alone. The babies are so cute and little...debbie

Anonymous said...

A perfect combination.

Michele said...

Aww... sweet... love this photo!

Tootie said...

When I was raised on a farm in mid-MO, there were LOTS of cotton tails. They all of a sudden began to get very scarce. I've heard from friends there, that they are seeing more of them again.

Your photo brings back nice memories for me. :-)

Montanagirl said...

Love this! They are such a cute little bunny.

ninja said...

I love this shot! That rabbit looks so much like the one I used to have. Thank You.

Kerri Farley said...

A lovely shot Salty!! I love bunnies!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Salty: Neat photo in the field. I had 6 in my yard this morning.