Roger went to the local nursery the other day to pick up some straw to mulch the
raised beds in the yard. He bought one bale, but didn't need very much
of it, so he left it in the yard for future use. The next day he noticed
this.
We
wondered what would so carefully make a path like this right up to the
little hole under the tool shed? Roger has filled that hole many times
and covered it with rocks only to find his work carefully undone. But
what could move this much straw and get the entrance covered up? What
critter could do this truly admirable job? We didn't think a skunk could
manage such a task, and how would it cover up the entrance and be
inside? We thought about getting a motion sensor camera to reveal the
mystery guest.
Well,
the next evening before sunset I noticed this skunk, who we now call
Skunky, come out of her den under the shed and start prowling around the
yard in the search for some delicious insects to eat. Here she is in the
raised bed with our broccoli and string beans. She doesn't make a mess. She's
very carefully rooting around.
The next morning I
watched her dragging the straw into place using her front paws and
backing up into the den entrance. She was methodical and dedicated to
the task. I couldn't get a photo of it because I didn't want to scare
her by opening the shades for a better view.
So, we're
letting Skunky have the space under the tool shed. We suspect she'll
have a litter of baby skunks soon. We
hope the neighbor's cat doesn't interfere and cause a stinky mess out
there. We're also hoping that when the kits are mature by late June or early July the whole family
will move on. If you're interested in reading more about skunk behavior, I found
this article very informative. It's called: Gardener's Best Friend--Master of Pest Control: The Skunk!
We'll keep you posted about our new "best friend."