Just a mini adventure this time. During my last expedition to the Falls of the Ohio, I paid a visit to one of my favorite trees. I love the root system on this Eastern cottonwood because it forms a “room” you can sit under. I decided to take some refreshment there and rest awhile. Scavenging Styrofoam can be thirsty work on a hot day. Here’s the cottonwood I’m talking about. Looking around, I can see I’m not the only person who knows about this tree. A couple of fire pits are in the vicinity.
While I was sitting in the shade, my eye was drawn to some definitely non-natural color inside a cavity at the base of this tree. When I investigated the hole, I was astonished to find this little treasure trove hidden inside. I withdrew the contents and set them up on a log for this photograph. I think you will be as surprised as I was!
A variety of plastic toys including a poodle, Snoopy’s doghouse, various baby items, a numeral “8”, and a horse with three legs were in the hole. How or why was this stuff here? When I checked out the area around the larder more carefully I found very small tracks and the picture started to become clearer. When I saw this little guy…I had my answer!
This is Meriwether’s Mouse and he’s named after the famous explorer Meriwether Lewis who was the first to describe this appealing rodent. This species is known to cache colorful objects and is not above pilfering items from unwary hikers and campers. In this mouse’s case, he doesn’t need to take anything because the river will provide plenty. No doubt these toys were found along the riverbank. I do the same thing myself!
Because there are a formidable number of predators out here, Meriwether’s Mouse is not as common as it once was. They do possess very acute hearing and this specimen heard me shift my position and off it went! Recently, I was looking through a copy of Audubon’s Quadrupeds and was amazed at the mostly small varmints that populate the mammalian natural history of our great country. I guess most animals aren’t going to be as magnificent as a grizzly bear or bison in size. In fact, most are about the size of our mouse! I appreciate all the more Audubon’s challenge in making this seem interesting to the average person sitting at home. Great or small, all animals are glorious to me! In closing I offer this abstract expressionist, all over composition… rendered in wildflowers. Thanks!!
Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog 