A busy day for bunnies

Every once in a while, I have come across rabbits in the park.  I usually only notice them as they retreat speedily into the underbrush.  However, on Easter afternoon, the rabbits were much less skittish.  The first two rabbits that I encountered were darting back and forth through the woods, but instead of running away from me, they seemed to be busy chasing each other.  After a short time, the chase broke off and -- to my surprise -- one of the rabbits hopped to within a few feet of where I had stopped to watch.

A bashful-looking rabbit (either an eastern cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus, or a swamp rabbit, S. aquaticus) grooming itself.

The rabbit then proceeded to groom itself and forage for edible plants until it was disturbed by the next person walking up the path. 

After grooming, it was time for some food.

As I made my way to the meadow on the other side of the woods, I found that a couple of rabbits had ventured into the open.

Another rabbit emerging hesitantly from the woods.

Food was much more plentiful in the meadow; yet neither rabbit ventured very far or remained exposed for very long.  The rabbits stayed close enough to the tree margin that they only required a few short hops to disappear into the sheltering vegetation once again.

A third rabbit shortly before it returned to the woods.