This Year's Skunk

Last year was the first year that we knew we had a skunk. We would see it in our back yard after dark, prowling across the lawn and in around the rose bushes.

(You may want to visit here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk before continuing. Among other things, there's a picture there of a baby skunk that you really shouldn't miss.)

My first encounter with it was when I felt called to go out into the back yard. I was walking through the house, from some now-forgotten Point A to some equally forgotten Point B for some reason I forget when I "heard a voice" telling me: "You need to go out into the back yard. Right now!" So I did. And there was the skunk -- fortunately, at a distance that was comfortable enough for both of us.

The skunk looked at me an began to twitch its tail, as if to say: "Hey, I'm armed and I know how to use this thing." I decided not to move and the skunk seemed to approve of my decision.

The coloration on the critter was somewhat deceiving: it was almost completely white from head to tail, all over its back and down to about its mid-line. Then it was coal black from there on down. I first thought it was a very fluffy cat, but the eloquent twitching of that ever-so-elegant tail was unmistakable. Even for a novice skunk spotter like me.

So we saw the skunk three or four times that year -- usually from inside the house. We have a floodlight over the back yard so we had a good clear view with minimal chance of interfering with the skunk's prowling. But on one occasion, Deb was sitting on the front porch early in the morning and the skunk walked past. On its way home, one might presume...

Anyway, the patterning on this year's skunk is quite different. He (or she) has a jaunty pair of stripes that start at the head and quickly part to the sides of the animal, terminating just in front of her/his back legs. Look more like racing stripes than anything else I can think of.

And we've seen this year's skunk much more often. He/she will stay in the back yard for thirty minutes or so, digging smallish holes in the lawn probably looking for worms or grubs or both. The holes are inconsequential and the avidity with which the animal hunts its dinner is a great deal of fun to watch. Sometimes, she/he jumps up slightly and pounces down on his/her prey.

So, have we had skunks in the back yard for years and years and just never noticed? Can't say.

Why does the skunk revisit us so often? Is there something about our turf that produces particularly tasty and abundant food? Dunno.

Does the skunk live nearby? Maybe.

Are we pleased to have such a visitor? Absolutely!

We've never noticed a skunk smell, so she/he seems to go about his/her business with minimal interference from cats, dogs, raccoons or other potential annoyances.

Deb and I are in the habit of giving names to things like flowers, birds, and other residents of God's kingdom, and are probably going to call the skunk "Francis" or "Frances" since we don't know the animal's gender, won't be able to find out easily, and will seldom if ever write out the name again. So the name works for an oral reference to either a boy or a girl skunk.

Now, Deb and I have taken some long trips to witness the wonders of nature, including the Galapagos and Costa Rica. And some not-so-long trips, including Cape May and Conowingo. And we have six or eight bird feeders set out to attract birds to us. But the skunks are the first mammals ever to come to 419 W. Union Street to visit us. (Other than the ubiquitous squirrels, but they don't count. And bunnies, which do count, but not nearly as much as skunks...) And the skunks do this totally on their own volition.

And we couldn't be more pleased.