Wildlife

Last weekend I took the kids on a hike through a selectively cut, recently created, nearby land trust. At one point, we were walking over a clearcut on a bunch of slash, and I warned the kids, "Keep your eyes open for snakes-this is ideal habitat for them,"

and then I stepped on the tail of this one.



It didn't seem any worse for the wear.

*****

Earlier in the week I was driving home and saw this young ruffed grouse standing in the middle of my travel lane. I stopped the car and snapped a couple of pics, and still it stood, frozen.



I opened the car door and it flew across the road, followed by an adult I hadn't seen in the underbrush. A few other juveniles flew back into the woods.