Vulpes vulpes fulva...and Jimi Hendrix

 So, some plant people may see that scientific name and think, "....a plant?" and their suspicions would be right, today's post is not about a plant.  Instead, it's about the new neighbors that have settled down in the shed in the backyard next to our (at right).

The first clue that someone (or something) was new in the neighborhood was the development of curious holes all over the plant beds at my parents' place. The holes were a couple inches in diameter - far too big for a mole or a vole.  A few days later, neighbors came by looking for their missing cat. And last week, the mysteries were solved -- a female fox used the shed to give birth to a litter of seven kits, or baby foxes.

All last week, they would rise around 10am and scamper around the yard, under the protective eye of the mother.  Foxes are nocturnal, but evidently when young they spend more time in daylight, learning to maneuver and play-fight (like below).

I went by last Thursday and was transfixed.  It brought me back to the days of working at the Bronx Zoo, though this zoo exhibit was visible from my parents' deck.  As the days have progressed, they've been out a bit less during the day and a bit more at dusk.  We can only assume their learning more about how to hunt and survive from their parents (the father and mother stay with the young until they are self-sufficient).

They are ridiculously cute.  I've written plenty of times about my parents' place -- I have even shared photos of deer nibbling down on Nandina, days after I had blogged that it's relatively deer resistant (guess they aren't regular readers), but these baby foxes are adorable.

It's also a great example of how adaptable animals can be to a changing, human environment.  No doubt, some neighbors would have called animal control because of these squatters, but luckily for us, our neighbors are out of town.  We've kept their residency an open secret.  That is, I'm blogging about it, but at the same time, we haven't mentioned it to any other people in my folks' neighborhood.

If you want more, I highly recommend checking out the video my brother took.  You can see them play and run and even take off with a discovered strawberry. 

Teddy bear (cactus)..and bunnies!

Not that I particularly need an excuse to post pictures of cute rabbits (or hares - what's the difference anyway?), but it is Friday and that makes this post a bit more festive anyway.  Why not throw in a few pics of this desert cottontail.  Which, by the way, is a true rabbit.
 

 

I saw this in a small park next to what looked like unmanaged desert on the way back to Phoenix, right off of I-17.   There were literally dozens of them when we drove into the park, scampering to safety before we could even hop out of the jeep.  Luckily, I found this one hidden in a mess of cholla, or Cylindropuntia.

That genus name should be vaguely familiar.  Cylindropuntia literally means cylindrical Opuntia.  Indeed, for some time chollas (pronounced CHOH-ya) were considered members of the Opuntia genus, but the absence of paddle-like stems has finally merited its own genus.   

Above, a small cholla, no more than 24" high.  I am stumped about which species of Cylindropuntia this is.  It looks quite a bit like C. tunicata, but that's native to Chile and I doubt this plant is an invader, they were ubiquitous in Arizona.  If it was an invasive non-native, I'm sure I'd have figured this out via books or websites.  C. spinosior is the most common cholla in Arizona, but this looks too hairy or spiny to be considered a member of that species.  Frankly, to go along with the thematic 'cuteness' of bunnies, I'm hoping this is C. bigelovii, or teddy bear cholla. 

There are 22 species of Cylindropuntia in the United States, so chances are this specimen is none of the above.  Though seeing a common name like teddy bear cholla (called that because from afar the plant looks more fuzzy than spiny).

 Happy Friday!