Raider of the Lost Pears

Gazing out our kitchen window, my husband and I watch the resident groundhog approach our pear tree. The tree is just three yards from the window and abundantly laden with not-quite-ripe fruit.

But the neighborhood squirrels haven’t waited for ripe. They’ve been raiding the tree for three weeks. It’s infuriating that each time we step foot out back, there’s a squirrel in the tree. He chooses a pear, takes a few bites, and drops it to the ground.

Now beneath the tree, the groundhog finds a second-hand pear. He sits up on his haunches, holding the pear in his front paws and delicately takes a bite. I know he’s a garden pest but he looks adorable.  And perhaps he’s heard that our yard is a certified wildlife habitat; he looks totally relaxed. We watch as he takes a nibble and carefully chews, turning the fruit in his tiny paws. He obviously enjoys the pear for five minutes, then drops the core and moves closer to choose another partially eaten fruit. Nice of him to neaten up our yard. Nice cooperation between our wildlife.

Last year the squirrels and groundhog left only one untouched pear for us. We don’t mind sharing but that was insulting.  This year we are being proactive. We’re bringing not-quite-ripe pears into the house so we’ll get to eat some ourselves. The wildlife will have to learn to share.