I’m not sure who our mystery predator is here.  As I’ve noted before, there is a notable dearth of stray cats in Roanoke.  I occasionally see one — but it’s nothing like my native New York, where stray cats outnumber people with a clean driving record.

Maybe the pupper next door did it.  I dunno.  He seems to be one of those gruff dogs who’s nevertheless timid (and adorable).  He sort of grumble-barks tentatively and then goes instantly quiet when you make eye contact with him.  He wandered into my backyard last summer and spent at least five minutes literally trembling in front of an empty tent, before he got up enough courage to bark at it.  Eventually he even ran away from that.

Whatever the case, I hope that the little patch of ground below doesn’t lie along a suburban game trail.  The is a place where bunny buds are known to roam.  And the last one I startled there just ran in a confused figure eight — and then mistakenly ran at me for a moment instead of away.  (Little brown fella had some kind of spatial relations problem.  Or maybe he was channeling General Woundwort.)