As a dedicated habitat gardener and naturalist, the most pleasurable and satisfying reality about creating habitat is when all the ‘others’ actually come to live in and make the most of the sanctuary you have created.
Human beings can have a very positive effect on the land when they create habitat gardens that increase bio-diversity and extend the season of resources. The positive effect is perhaps evident sooner when the garden is close to open space and a diversity of wild animals are already co-existing with humans living close by.
Home Ground Habitats is located in the ‘horse country’ area of Marin County; lots are large and open space is close by. Even as we were building out our nursery facilities and installing gardens Western Bluebirds, Tree Swallows, and Bewick’s Wrens started breeding in nesting boxes we had installed while improving the whole property. A pair of Mallards, Blue Herons, and Great White Egrets appear from time to time as our small pond becomes more and more ‘naturalized’.
We have an abundance of insect activity in our gardens; European honeybees as well as many native bees, wasps and other pollinators, lots of butterflies and their larvae on numerous host plants. All sorts of both prey and predatory insects abound.
Success in creating a Habitat Garden Sanctuary can sometimes have surprising consequences! Much to the delight of all of us working at Home Ground we have become a home and safe haven for a family of Gray Foxes! All of us have had the pleasure and excitement of observing them for several months now.
They are beautiful small animals; standing about 12 to 15 inches tall, and at most about 3 feet long, which includes a full, luxurious tail. The pelt is ‘brindled’ (a mixture of black and grayish fur) for the most part, but with a russet chest, underbelly and legs. Black hairs run all along the backbone and tail, ending in a distinct, black-tipped tail.
Gray Foxes live only on the west coast; throughout much of California’s chaparral communities up to the southwestern parts of Oregon. The first time I saw a Gray Fox it was quite by chance. I was walking up a rather steep wooded hillside, making my way through the undergrowth, and so, looked up; and there was a fox crouching on a limb. I wouldn’t be surprised if they see us much more often than we notice them!
Gray Foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) are unlike other foxes in that they have semi-retractable claws and can and do climb trees often in search of bird eggs and nestlings. They also hunt small mammals such as gophers, mice and rats, brush rabbits and probably squirrels. We have noticed that we have less gopher activity in the gardens; and they must also be scavenging because we have found remnant parts of both a deer and a hare.
The foxes also eat quite a lot of vegetable matter, some fruits from various trees in our small orchard, and at this time, lots of the ‘little apples’ from the many manzanitas in the gardens. We grow an abundance of California native berry producing plants, some ripening early like manzanitas, and then Nevin’s barberry, gooseberries and currants, elderberries, lemonade berries, cherries, coffeeberries, and Toyons ripen in succession through the summer months.
I had already noticed scat in various parts of the gardens and could easily see that it was not dog feces because of the presence of plant remains. The scat piles got larger and larger and ‘toilet spots’ are now located in several different places within the fenced grounds.
Our propagation work area is close to a culvert that handles any overflow from our pond, and then leads to another larger culvert that carries excess rainwater under the road to a series of creeklets that lead to the larger Novato Creek. Home Ground is fenced off from the deer, dogs, and coyotes – though our volunteers do sometimes bring their dogs when they come to help with plant propagation activities.
The dogs were obviously curious about the culvert, but kept a distance, and later that afternoon (when the dogs were gone) we saw them for the first time; the adult pair and four pups (perhaps born in the culvert) were living there- at least for the time being!
Such lovely and lively creatures rolling and tumbling all over each other! Such a delight to observe that we didn’t even care that they were crushing a beautiful drift of California poppies. The seeds are there, and the poppies will be back with the rainy season.
At this time we’ve determined the fox family is living under a deck that is about 18“ high. By that deck is a very large scat pile, and we’re seeing more toilet spots all over the grounds. And, yes, lots of crushed plants – but they will recover. It’s good to know that our garden sanctuary provides all their needs; plenty of food and water, shelter and a place to raise their young.
And, being a somewhat compulsive propagator, I collected some of the dried scat, crushed it, put it through a screen, and placed the remains in a seed flat to see what grows after such a natural pre-germination process!
I’m expecting Manzanita seedlings – but who knows! That is part of the excitement of a close and personal involvement with the natural world.