Nature Journal #9: Wildlife in San Marino, CA

 After my last blog post focusing on the fruit trees in my backyard, I realized that I missed one crucial part of my backyard and neighborhood: the wildlife. What is the environment without the fauna inhabiting it? Attending school in Texas has made me notice how different and unique the creatures were in my hometown of San Marino compared to here. The United States is so vast that the nature varies greatly between the different regions. Even my hometown alone differs from the surrounding suburbs, which I will highlight in this blog.

I previously discussed the many squirrels that inhabit my town and destroy the avocados of our tree. Therefore, I would like to discuss more distinctive species. At night, we have rats that scurry along the roof of our house and are able to climb the trees in our backyard. I am quite convinced that they are mutant due to this apparent "superpower" they possess. I have never witnessed them during the day, but sometimes they become trapped in our trash cans adjacent to the garage. Somehow, these persistent rats found a way to enter our attic. A handyman opened the ceiling door to the attic one time and a rat dropped to the floor, to our horror of course. Luckily, we have not found or heard any rats scurrying above in the attic for years.

Thankfully, the other creatures remain outside our house exclusively. The most pleasant animals I have seen in my backyard are rabbits. Almost everyday, we see a tan colored rabbit with a fluffy white tail. My dad enjoys thinking that this is the same rabbit everyday that keeps returning, but I am hesitant to believe this. Although I have seen raccoons in the backyard, this luckily has not occurred in a while. I recall sitting in the den watching TV with my father when my dog began barking while peering out the window. We thought nothing of it until we turned on the lights on the deck, which illuminated a raccoon staring in at us. Another time, we heard a rustling sound outside at 11 pm. Naturally, we assumed it was another one of our mutant rats. Upon further investigation, we spotted a large possum standing on our grill outside. We must have left the cover off the grill because the possum was licking the residue, showing off its sharp daunting teeth.

Another creature that haunts our town is the coyote. Unfortunately, these animals do more harm than good during their visits to San Marino. They are the very reason that people cannot leave their animals unattended in the yard. Coyotes have been known to attack dogs, and I know people personally who have dealt with this. I have walked my dog on a few occasions when a coyote appeared down the street ahead of us. With my adrenaline working overtime, I picked up my dog Teddy and ran the other way, for I was not taking any chances. It is quite scary because coyotes are often more active during the nighttime but I see them more often during the day. Whenever I see the coyote exhibit in the Fort Worth Zoo, I get the chills.

Last, but not least, are the peacocks (yes, you read that right). I never thought that I would live somewhere that had peacocks roaming my street and even backyard, but that's the reality in my town. These peacocks live in the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Arcadia, which is five minutes away from my house. Over two hundred peacocks live here, so sometimes they break free and waltz along the streets eventually reaching San Marino. Although they appear mythical, these birds are aggressive if you get too close to them. If you are driving, peacocks will stand in the middle of the road and do not have the instinct to move, which is quite frightening. I find it fascinating to analyze the different species that exist due to regional variations.