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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Tuesday, August 04, 2020
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Penryngarden
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Penryn CA
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Entry 45 of 75 |
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The Bunny Story & How I scalped my own pumpkin – The 1938 Urena
One evening I was sitting outside enjoying my 22 pullets’ free range outside of their pen when I spotted a baby bunny in my pumpkin patch. Each evening around 6pm the gray furry cottontail bunny raced around a cucumber plant and dashed back and forth in a flurry of joy. It would get on its hind legs and stretch to reach a new cucumber set to eat. Hmm. Thoughts it could eat my pumpkin started me thinking its time for the bunny to find a new home.
I admit I asked my husband to get rid of it – he is a hunter and I did suggest he take a shot at it. I seriously would never hurt a bunny but thinking back to how much work I had done to prep my pumpkin batch – bunny needed to go. Nope, was his response, added to the fact he could not believe I wanted to get rid of that adorable bunny.
So, he gave me some live traps that I set out in the garden in various areas so we could relocate it. As time went on the bunny continued to outsmarted me. Food set out was ignored or missing. I would go out in the morning to let out my chickens and see the bunny dashing about the patch. I admit it was a joy to see it and had given up hope of every catching it.
Early one morning while inspecting the back stem of my pumpkin I noticed a slice of my pumpkin missing and it was oozing out juice. After further inspection I realized a rat trap had gone off and as a newbie grower had not accounted for the distance the trap would need to clear the pumpkin. Yep- I scalped my own pumpkin. I had the trap between the back of the pumpkin and several 2x4’s that were supporting the stem.
After further inspection I realized it was not a rat, but the poor bunny. Eeeeks, if it just would have stayed in the other 2499 sqft area that did not have the traps it would have had a long fruitful life. Part of me felt bad, part of me felt Really bad that I was a bit happy he was gone. Worse, I had to tell my husband I killed the bunny with a rat trap-not my intention when I put them out.
Bunnies gone – Captan paste applied to damage. Fan placed on damage 24/7 since incident. Scar continues to stretch with growth and a piece has curled back a bit.
2020 Note: I’ve done more damage to my pumpkin and vines than nature just by entering the patch, stepping on vines and trying to cut rouge pumpkins off – everywhere and not thinking through the correct placement of rat traps.
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