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Re: Stuff in the yard



On the Dix campus in Raleigh last Tuesday, I was shocked to see a groundhog
standing on hind legs just outside the entrance door to the building where I
work just off Lake Wheeler Rd..  He was right where there is a good bit of
pedestrian traffic throughout the day and the parking lot is there as well.
As I watched him in disbelief (I'd never seen one before in the wild) he
slowly slinked back toward the side of the building (hoping to become less
visible, I guess) and then he crossed the road in front of me as I started
to drive away.  Again I watched for a while as he headed toward the large,
open grassy area where there are very old trees.  I did some research on the
Internet and it indicated that Raleigh/Durham is not within the range where
they are commonly found but rather there presence is spotty just outside
that range.  I also deduced from the research that the habitat on the Dix
campus would be perfect for groundhogs although I can't imagine where they
would find vegetables to eat (unless they regularly visit the Farmer's
Market which is nearby).

Clyde Sorenson wrote:

> All,
>
> You don't have to go far to find  alot of neat things. This weekend, we
> discovered a borwn thrasher nest in the akebia vine on my pergola, a
> catbird nest in blackberry brambles on the other side of my 1.5 acre
> property, deer tracks within 10 feet of th dog kennels (that must be why
> the mutts raised sand Saturday night), and a lace-winged road-side
> skipper on the jasmine vine on the front porch. The kingfishers are
> still hanging out on the pond, and I had a truely spectacular, metallic
> green, red and yellow wood boring beetle (Buprestis rufipes, I think)
> fly into the side of my head as I cleaned the gutters saturday. To top
> it off, my daughter and I saw a groundhog about  a mile away on Covered
> Bridge road outside Clayton a couple hundred yards from where it crosses
> the Neuse. (This is the first time I've seen one this far south and
> east, and its a long way from the nearest interstate- anyone know
> anything about this animal's status in Johnston Co. and eastern NC? I've
> seen them in northern Wake and Franklin Cos.)
>
> Yep, you don't hav to go far.
>
> Clyde Sorenson
> clyde_sorenson@ncsu.edu
> Clayton and Raleigh, NC