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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| A third rabbit shortly before it returned to the woods. |
