One thing seems to be in short supply at the farm, but I never really noticed until today. Rabbits. I guess you don't really notice what's not there.
Cute! But destructive. Image via Flickr, Joshua Davis.
So today I saw my first wild rabbit at the farm. No kidding. I spotted the little guy hopping around the lawn's edge and realized I hadn't seen any before today.
You may think "what's the big deal - it's just a rabbit?" Well, after living in Appleton for the past three decades I've come to think that wild bunnies are pretty prolific... everywhere. You see in Appleton (and probably many larger cities) rabbits are a problem. Sometimes a serious problem. Any plant material that has just a hint of palatability will be mowed down by hordes of rabbits.
Too Few Predators
In reality the over abundance of rabbits in the Appleton area is likely due to too few predators. Sure, you see the occasional hawk, or even a rare fox, but there's really no serious predator control in the city. This leads to waaaayyy too many prey animals.
At least out in the countryside there's a better balance of predators and prey. If bunny numbers start climbing, the predators have more supply to feed on, and in turn have more of their own offspring. Then the pendulum eventually swings the other way. More predators cause prey numbers to start declining. It's always a give and take, a dynamic balance.
Rural "Rabbits"?
But, there is an animal in the rural setting that has proliferated, for a similar reason the city rabbits flourish: deer. Holy schmoly, are there the deer out here! So numerous that high fencing in required to keep them out of deer-edible crops.
Not so cute, especially when it goes sailing over that "deer proof" fence you have.
My mom, who grew up near this farm, remembers very few deer as a kid. Not rare, but certainly FAR less than is currently around.
And white tail deer numbers have gone up considerably over the decades because there just aren't the predators there needs to be to keep their numbers in check. So does that mean we humans now have to serve that predatory role? Maybe. Probably. Depends on who you talk to.
I, for one, would welcome far few deer in the area. growing things that deer like to chomp on is frustrating! I've learned my lesson the hard way not to invest any money in fruit trees until I have a deer proof fence up.