My Kingdom for a Predator

There seems to be an overabundance of rabbit poop on the landscape.  It’s possible it has always been there and the snow covering the ground provides the contrast for increased visibility.  Nevertheless, the Labs seem to be drawn to the flower beds around the perimeter of the house to dine upon all of the accumulated rabbit pellets. 

I know for sure that the rabbits prefer to den in the relative safety underneath the lean-to porch of the granary.  And the dogs are drawn to snuffing and searching there too.  Arising in the morning there are bunny tracks on the snow-covered porch surrounding the house.  My impression is that there are too many rabbits on the landscape.    

Meet Sylvilagus floridanus – the Eastern Cottontail.  This is a true New World cottontail rabbit - a member of the family Leporidae.  It is the most common rabbit species in North America distributed across a range from southern Canada to South America and from the east coast of the United States to New Mexico and Arizona.   This critter eats a wide range of plants including twigs and bark in the winter months.

Mostly nocturnal, crepuscular (evening and twilight) it becomes quite active in late winter when the males fight to establish breeding dominance. The eastern cottontail can jump a distance of up to fifteen feet and when pursued by a predator will leap from side to side to break its scent trail.  Top speed for this rabbit is fifteen miles per hour. 

Mating begins this month and the female will give birth about a month from now to four or five young – naked and with their eyes closed.   Mama will build a nest in a depression in the ground and line it with soft materials and fur from her chest.  The young are nursed at dawn and at dusk, weaned after about three weeks and leave the nest at the seven week point.  Most females can mate again just hours after giving birth. Females can have three or four litters a year. Eastern cottontails are ready to mate when they are only three months old and capable of producing as many as thirty-five offspring in a year.  This is one of the most prolific mammals on the landscape. 

My kingdom for a predator…..