Several years ago, maybe four my records in this instance are not great. We saw a Snowshoe Hare that would appear in the evening from under the deck and wander around to the great annoyance of the dogs. This year when we arrived there were three, all roughly the same size. The males are actually smaller than the females. There appeared to be a bit of anomosity, with one being chased. It seems they are a bit territorial. Also I did look under the cabin, moved anything under there out and while they appear from underneath they are probably living in the brush in back of the cabin and coming out into the short grass in front. They do cut down vegetation to create runs to use as escape routes and I wonder if the cleared area under the cabin functions as a large run. Since the cabin is raise four feet and open on three sides, The other side backs the dog run, this area then does provide a clear field of view.
Then one momentous day, I should mark these events on the calender. There were a couple of young ones. They were pretty cute.
The a month or so later I wandered out and there were three little ones, even smaller then the previous batch. And possibly cuter. It seem mom can produce three litters, (3-4 in a litter) 4 litters for my readers in southern B.C. They are born with their eyes open and with fur. They can eat grass with 10 days and are full grown in five months. One good point is unlike the Franklin's they will not form colonies, the young should move some distance away. Based on size I have seen as many as 8 over the course of the summer, But not at the same time so I suspect the out migration is continuous through out the summer. I have noticed that while the single hare never touched the few lilies I have planted or any of the annuals in the large wash tubs, this is no longer the case and I have raised some tubs and put in a bit of fence. They also seem to be out and about more, and while not a brazen as the Franklin's they are pretty brave around us. The also are the victims of many ticks, yuck. While the Snowhare is the smallest of the 26 species of hares worldwide, when one gets up on the lower deck to waltz around, those showshoes are quite the little precussion instruments.
I did notice one of the adults also has this white line on top of it's head.
The things you see without tv.
"But as solace for this life of quietly existing,
In the traces left behind by love, until the light holds,
And the world and the mind are one. One exists alone."
from Arguement in Isolation
by John Koethe
Mammals of Alberta, Pattie & Fisher
The Natural History of Canadian Mammals, Donna Naughton
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