I could see that it wasn\u2019t too cold the morning I sat down to write this column by the rhododendron leaves on a plant outside the office window. They were only slightly curled up, not like they had been on several recent mornings.<\/p>\n
We are, however, expecting some much colder weather and possibly some accumulating snow. So if that happens, those leaves and the ones on nearby azalea plants will all be curled up as protection from low temperatures.<\/p>\n
Because of the cold we have turned off the recirculating pump in the pond. But water is still available to whatever wildlife comes into the yard due to three heated bird baths. Two are traditional 3-foot-high ones, and the third is flat and on the ground.<\/p>\n
The one that\u2019s near the kitchen door has been almost empty on recent mornings. There are feral cats and other small animals that come around at night, but for so much water to be gone it\u2019s probably deer coming in to drink. I won\u2019t know for sure, though, unless we get snow and I can see tracks.<\/p>\n
As I poured water into that bird bath this morning, it made me think about a TV show I recently watched that dealt with how important beavers<\/a> are to Yellowstone National Park out West. As our biggest native rodent \u2014 the capybara is indigenous to Central and South America \u2014 beavers are extremely important to all parts of the country, although a few centuries ago they were almost wiped out by trappers.<\/p>\n The water areas around beaver lodges are environmentally important to all kinds of wildlife, both big and small. And the wet surrounding soil helps willow trees and other native shrubs to proliferate.<\/p>\n There are beavers all over our area in appropriate habitats due to the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. There\u2019s a small stream on the edge of our property that feeds into the bigger Fry\u2019s Run Creek that in turn goes into the Delaware, and many years ago there were even beavers there.<\/p>\n There are some places where it\u2019s really easy to see beavers and one of them is the Browning Beaver Meadow Sanctuary<\/a> in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. It\u2019s north of Honesdale, so it\u2019s not close by. But it\u2019s billed as one of the best kept environmental secrets in the state, and it\u2019s a great public place to get away from the everyday world.<\/p>\n A few weeks ago, David drove Route 611 South past where Fry\u2019s Run<\/a> goes into the Delaware River and he saw something interesting, although it wasn\u2019t a beaver. It was instead a black squirrel. And since then a few people have told me that they too have seen black squirrels in that area.<\/p>\n