Krista, what a beautiful rose. The petal formation is exquisite.

Your bunnies look rather different from the western cottontails, a larger, rounder body and somewhat different ears. I'm able to enjoy them a lot because they're not nibbling on my roses. You have so much food for them other than the roses so a little snack is okay. That's precious how she has the little one hidden away.

Okay, that's just adorable! I'm about to make oooey-coooey sounds. I might actually sacrifice a chunk of a DA rose to those sweethearts. (Just one, not all my roses!)

Reine Victoria is stunning! Carol

I’m smiling looking at these pictures! Thanks. Beautiful.

Thank you.

Ingrid, I had noticed that as well, that your rabbits have larger ears, or a different shape to them.

I saw the baby rabbit last night, but was not able to get a photo of it.

The rabbits are cute. I like to see them in the garden.

Food is abundant this time of year. I don't see many signs of them eating the roses in the spring, in the winter time they shear back the canes on some of the roses.

When I opened the back door this morning, I saw two rabbits.

There are small blue flowers in the lawn, just a weed, but seems to brighten up the grass a bit.

They seem to like to rest in the mulch. Felicia is on the left, Bubblebath on the right. Pardon the weeds, I have many of those...

Nibbling on a weed, that's nice...

May blooming tulips

Love your rose 'Reine Victoria'.. it doesn't get mentioned that much... and I've never grown it.. plucky rabbits... wouldn't there be lots of predators in your area Krista?..

Just delightful!

Marlorena, a few miles north in the woods there are a number of predators such as fox, coyote, hawk, raccoon and skunk. Here in the neighborhood there are raccoons and skunks.

I see rabbits regularly each year, but the rabbit population faces challenges.

Those tulips are lovely, Krista. I almost hate to say this, but with those additional bunny pictures I have to say that your bunnies are cuter than mine. Of course if you tell my bunnies I'll deny I ever said that.

Oh, GOLLY! What lovely images.
Wonderful to have, on a gloomy day here.

Many thanks!

Krista, I think you should call your bunnies "Felicia" and "Bubblebath" to match the roses that shade them. :-) Carol

Carol, that's a nice thought. Charming names for adorable garden visitors...

(a note on these roses: they are quite sturdy. Many years ago a large utility truck accidentally drove over them, and pushed Bubble Bath down into the ground, 8 inches below the soil line. It was shattered into multiple sections, much of it crushed. I didn't know if it would survive, but it did. We filled in the hole with soil and mulched it. Felicia was also damaged but not as badly crushed. )

That is an amazing tale about Bubble Bath. Such a frou-frou name but what a cast-iron constitution. I love hearing stories like that.

Oh, Krista, RV is stunning! Such a gorgeous shape and color. (I did think at first the bunnies were “Felicia” and “Bubblebath”, lol!)

What a sweet post with the most darling photos—thank you! :-)

I have to say, I did too!!

Rabbits are fastidious. The grooming this morning lasted about 15 minutes.

mourning dove, the cooing is such a peaceful sound

So nice to see these pictures. I don't know if I have ever seen a picture of a rabbit relaxing. They usually seem very nervous and mindful of possible predators. It is really special to see one grooming itself and feeling comfortable. Looks like in one picture the rabbit has her legs sticking out behind her. My dogs do that.

We have the cooing doves here too—I love that sound. Your rabbits are absolutely adorable. Way better than the plastic kind. :-)

The morning doves are so delightful, their calls are wonderful. I associate them with my grandfather's house, they bring back fond memories.

Erasmus, my cat will rest that way as well, with her legs back. She seems very relaxed when she does this.

What a magical place you live in! Carol

We must have more nervous bunnies here because I've never seen the grooming behavior. I'd be nervous too if coyotes, bobcats and a mountain lion or two lived in my neighborhood and regarded me as dinner. I enjoyed those pictures; it's a special treat to see wildlife at peace, engaging in their daily routine.

We did have a mountain lion attack not far from here a few days ago. It was a 4-year-old boy who was severely injured. In a different instance a mountain lion tried to attack a grown man, but he drove it off by raising his bicycle over his head which made him look more large and threatening. That was extremely clever thinking on his part in a terrifying situation.

Thank you, Carol. I like living in New York very much.

Ingrid, I've been reading about CA mountain lions in the news. It's sad to read about encounters with humans that end in tragedy. My Mom lives near San Jose and a young mountain lion wandered into the neighborhood. It ended up in a garage, probably confused as to where to go... Wildlife experts came in, tranquilized it and moved it to a more appropriate location.

Many years ago in Montana on vacation my husband and I came across mountain lion tracks on a trail. We decided to leave the area. This was a remote location. The cat could have been anywhere. My outdoor skills are quite limited, didn't feel comfortable at that point on the trail.

There are black bears in the woods here, but they are shy creatures.

Glad to hear this is a good one! Just ordered one myself. Never know how they will over winter here....

Thank you, Vesfl, for the kind words. That's such a nice thing to say.

When the rabbits see me I move as slowly as possible to try to keep startling them to a minimum. They enjoy the garden as much as I do. It's fun to watch them. They help to make the garden feel alive, not just the plants, but the animals make it a vibrant place.

Kelly, it's worked out well in this cold zone. Mine is 5 feet tall, narrow upright habit. I've been growing it and Mme Pierre Oger for many years, seem to be reasonably hardy.

Krista, I’m enjoying your thread so much. Reine Victoria is quite a beautiful rose, and I find your blooms especially so. That color is wonderfully bright pink, without being loud. It’s quite a pleasure to see your bunnies enjoying themselves in your garden. They must be as happy as you are that spring has arrived and everything is green and lush. I’m SO enjoying seeing the bunnies so relaxed, and going about their natural behaviors. Seeing the details of their secret lives is such a privilege, and I so appreciate your sharing them with us.

I have no bunnies, but I too, have the privilege of sharing my garden with mourning doves. I love hearing them, and always see them in pairs, unless one is tending the nest. Your tulips look so beautiful. I long to be able to grow them. Do they return for you each year, or do you need to plant new ones each fall? The color of those is especially attractive to me.

Carol and Vesfl summed it up perfectly; Magical place indeed! Lisa

Edited to add; Coincidentally, as I look out my living room window, I also see ‘Felicia’ on my left, and ‘Bubble Bath’ on the right. Nice choice of Hybrid Musks to pair together, IIDSSM:-). Lisa

Thank you, Lisa. BB is fun to grow, although after winter it takes much longer to prune than Felicia, which is diminutive by comparison. They are a nice pair side by side. I planted them in that location as it gets some morning shade, thought they would be able to tolerate this.

These tulips last about 3 years. The bulbs shrink over time. Each year I dig up a section of the bed and plant new ones. Crocus and snowdrops are hardier than this type of tulip.

The doves help to make the spring season special, their cooing is so restful sounding.

The baby rabbit has been growing. I will post recent photos of it... The white spot on the forehead indicates that it's an Eastern Cottontail, and not a New England Cottontail.

This section of the lawn has more weeds than grass, LOL. Plenty of leafy plants for it to eat.

I see toads in the rose beds, and throughout the garden. They range in size, some are tiny, some are larger...

You could write a story book and include pictures of the beautiful flowers and the little visitors. It’s so sweet

Thank you, Michele. When I see rabbits in the garden I think of the Beatrix Potter books I read as a child.

Yes! That’s exactly where I was. Magical

Krista, I don't know how in the world I miss this thread. I am sorry to be such a late comer do excuse me ! I have to read from top later but I just scan through the pics and your roses,rabbits and doves. They look so wonderful. I am enjoying your beautiful roses :)
jin

Jin is right, this is a thread to come back to and reread. There’s no better endorsement in my mind than all these lovely creatures joining you in your garden. Great job!!

:-)

Thank you.

I enjoy seeing the animals in the garden. My favorite birds are the doves and nuthatches.

Nuthatch in wintry weather, this pic from my folders...

Doves in March, also from my folders

Toads can be seen on the pathways, as well as in the garden beds.

The toads are adorable. The rabbits-not so much. We have an abundance of darn things and they eat all my plants or chew the tops off and spit them out. told my cats they were going to fired and need to a new place of residence, but apparently I have a horrible and they called my bluff.....

Beautiful cats, Kelly... My cat is a seal point, as well. Cats love to snuggle in a cozy spot...

What a heart-warming and joyous post to return to! It now has everything, not only the adorable baby bunny in the process of growing up, but toads, doves and now lovely furry indoor friends.

I might have mentioned that my fur person, Jason, who was declawed by a former owner, left through an inadvertently left open screen on a French door (partly the window cleaner's fault and partly mine), survived for two weeks in an area populated by coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions and returned dehydrated, hungry and covered with fleas but otherwise intact. It is amazing what even a sheltered house cat retains of survival instincts, although many in a similar situation don't survive their first night, and I give Jason credit for a good amount of native intelligence and cunning.

Jason is a beautiful cat, Ingrid, gorgeous portraits of him. He looks color coordinated with the bedding. Cats are intelligent, very intuitive creatures.

Kelly, Krista and Ingrid! What beautiful cats. Meet Sunshine. The queen of the castle.

Sunshine is so sweet, and what a pretty little lady she is. Of course they totally rule us, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

We adopted Jason from the local humane society, and it was only with time that I discovered he was a Turkish Angora, with all of the breed characteristics, the main one being that they, unlike all other long-haired cats, have only a single coat, with no undercoat whatsoever. Fortunately that makes them much easier to groom because their coats don't tangle.

Sunshine is a lovely kitty... great photo, Michele!

Looking at Jason, I can see the Turkish Angora in his ancestry. His coat is beautiful, and the single coat must be nice at grooming time.

What lovely kitties! That is a remarkable story about Jason, Ingrid—what a homecoming that must have been! :-)