Resident Rodents

Several readers of the blog have commented about the photo posted for my profile; it isn't big enough, they say, to discern any kind of detail. So, for their gratification, I am posting the photo in a larger format. These readers also want to know more about the resident packrat population here at COC. In something akin to trench warfare, we have tried to keep the critters' numbers to a minimum here at the center. We haven't murdered any, of course, but we have tried to landscape in such a way as to discourage their nesting habits. We have taken out ornamental Rosemary bushes, trimmed low-hanging pads on the prickly pears, pruned the sage and desert broom to remove shady spots for lazing around during hot summer days. Despite all of these efforts, however, the packrats are still around, living on the perimeter of the grounds. They are smart, resilient creatures that do their best to avoid interacting with the human animal. Unfortunately, they are hosts to "assassin" or "conehead" bugs (aka "kissing" beetles) that can be a nasty parasite for humankind. One thing the packrats have going for them: they're cute as hell.