Ode to a Biodiverse Neighborhood

Image of a Buck Moth Caterpillar taken by me while on the verge of anaphylactic shock

(see image below for a Buck Moth Caterpillar being "serviced" by a member of the spider alliance)

Here is an ode to my new home

Where many a critter apparently doth roam

I've been here but a week, but am clearly not alone

The days of tamed neighborhood living are long, long gone

 

In this week raccoons have thrown a party in my trash

Many a red-headed skink and colorful salamander have crossed my path

And in our fountain water snakes have taken a bath

At the risk of incurring my wife's fearful wrath

 

Though a buck moth caterpillar nearly sent me into anaphylactic shock

I forged an alliance with spiders that made me assess the stock

Of ecosystem services that rapid development doth mock

While natural system functions are at risk of grinding to a stop

 

Lizards in the house are nothing new

Florida had its share of mosquitoes too

But I've seen far more birds in live oaks covered in dew

And far more frogs croaking in the nearby slough

 

But the news that really caught me off guard

And has made the adjustment a tad bit hard

Was the call this morning that left me quite jarred

Of an alligator spotted in our back yard

 

While living near man-eating predators may not get much worse

And my family's presence in our back yard I must now coerce

I can imagine a lot of things far, far worse

Than living in a neighborhood this biodiverse

 

....not the least of which is living in an urban jungle

- Blake Hudson