Sometimes we are lucky to be presented with wonderful learning opportunities for our children…just because of where we live….but sometimes it can be hard to know exactly how to make the most of these opportunities when it impacts on another aspect of family life.
I know as parents we are often faced with these sort of dilemmas and that is the position i find myself in now!
The toddler twosome have been growing quite attached to their friend ‘Hoppy'…one of our resident wallabies. This particular one comes visiting many times during the day but most often around the time the girls get up from their afternoon nap……
They come excitedly out to the front verandah in the hope they can get a glimpse of their new friend….
I consider it very special that the toddler twosome are able to come out onto the verandah and have a chat to a native wallaby…….what isn't special is that they do a lot of damage to our gardens…..and i worry that we are able to walk up closer and closer to them before they hop away now but they are not tame animals and could lash out at the girls if they feel threatened or cornered…
Hoppy has been a constant source of frustration for me since we moved here and i realised how many of them were out in our paddocks….they can wipe out a whole bed of vegies in one early morning breakfast run…especially beans and kale (i know…go figure!)
A lot of our makeshift fences have been to keep the wallabies out but we can't fence everything and it sort of defeats the purpose of having all this space and lovely views!It's also expensive!
So my dilemma is that i would love to keep encouraging them to drop by for a visit as it is a wonderful experience for the girls and has been a great prompt to learn a little more about the wallaby…..and they really get to see him up close which is special…..but the buggers are eating my gardens down to nothing!!!
I swear he is trying to figure out how to jump the backyard fence….he will be disappointed as it is the one place we have yet to landscape….ironic that the only properly fenced bit of yard contains a clothesline….red dirt…and lots of bushrocks!
Gorgeous though isn't he/she? I'm really hoping to catch a glimpse of a joey (baby) as i have spied a few jumping in the paddock lately…..
The girls are so disappointed if Hoppy doesn't arrive in the afternoon!
This last week though my frustration with the furry ones hit breaking point after they had been constantly visiting the vegie patch full of my new seedlings and using it as a lovely smorgasbord!
So His Patient Self erected a makeshift wire fence around the perimeter over the long weekend….the rest of the gardens are easy pickings still but i really need to keep the patch out of bounds as i am wasting hard work and money here otherwise!!
The afternoon it was erected i looked out the kitchen window just before getting the girls up from their nap and there was Hoppy looking most confused…..what happened to the buffet…..i actually felt sorry for him he looked so sad lol!
Wasn't impressed when i came out to get a photo and got hopping pretty quickly…goodness they move fast when they want to!
The fence seems to be working a treat for now…although we haven't had an afternoon visit for the toddler twosome to enjoy for the past few days…..ahh the dilemma of modern rural life!!!
I think i will try to incorporate some creative wallaby activities and fun for the girls to try and keep that special magic alive…….i shall be heading over to the inspirational Wildlife Fun for Kids blog for some ideas as Penny always amazes me with her fun ideas to encourage a love of wildlife in children . She currently has a post about some special ways to help your baby and toddler bond with wildlife….i just know i am going to be using some of them for wallaby and twin magic!
Hopefully we can enjoy homegrown vegetables as well as share some special moments with an Australian native animal right on our doorstep!
Do you have any animals come to visit? Are there more positives than negatives to the experience?
I'd love to hear your tales!
Warm Wishes…..
that’s just the coolest thing! i know that i’ve told you this before. but it’s soooo cool!
I really enjoyed reading your post about your visitors Jode. When I was a kid I would visit my Grandparents’ place at Nowhere Creek (true name!) and they live in the bush with many wallaby visitors too. It was so special and amazing to see these creatures up close. But they did do terrible damage to the gardens! My grandparents ended up putting a big fence around their huge veggie patch (i.e. the size of my whole block), and chicken wire around new trees. Hope your new fencing does the trick!
I am speechless! A real, live wallaby in your backyard?? That is so cool! I am sorry about your garden, but I say keep the wallaby. 🙂 Growing up in the states we would get raccoons and possums (not like the ones here- big and mean and disease ridden). We loved watching them rummage through our garbage cans at night. When I was really young we would get rabbits and sometimes, if we were lucky a deer would walk down the street. But a wallaby is so much better!!
Have to say a deer walking down the street would be pretty cool here lol! But Hoppy is cute…hopefully we will find a happy medium!
Our tails are just bunny tails……and I know how hard it has been trying to keep the animals happy and me, the vegie grower happy……………..
It’s a fine line isn’t it??
Only possums and armadillo here… Your visitor is way cooler!
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Wow…have never seen an Armadillo…that would definitely be cool…thanks for dropping by!
Hoppy looks very well-fed 😉 Poor Jode! Garden destruction is so disheartening, no matter how cute or cool your visitor!
-Jaime
He is certainly well fed Jaime…and clever too! Spent 2 hrs in the garden today fixing damage so fingers crossed!
Oh dear I can understand you dilemma Jode because it is special for the girls to be able to get the chance to see nature up close but at the same time growing vegetables takes time and money and you can’t afford for them to keep munching away at them. We used to have problem possums but the problem wasn’t with the garden it was that they decided our house was a nice place to live but they have another home now after hubby patched up the third hole they found. I hope that those new fences stop them from munching at your vegies. xx
What a handsome man! He’s quite a swamp wallaby stud.
Sometimes it’s hard to live with wildlife and there’s not much that deters a wallay or kangaroo. I’d try a scarecrow or a fox siluoette. That MAY help. Otherwise, you could plant a mini vegie garden for him outside your ‘now safe’ garden. That way he will come for his favourite treat now and then and the girls can still enjoy him.
Thanks so much for mentioning WF4K. I will try to write a wallaby/kangaroo post very soon!
Oh I know this dilemma…
Trying to teach our kids to respect all living creatures… but then the fox visits during the day and takes all but three of our much loved chickens right out from under our noses, and it is so hard to find understanding and respect when that happens!
We talk about the fact that the fox is only doing what foxes do and that they shouldn’t be in this country in the first place (but then chickens are not native either and neither are we!)… but then… oh it’s hard isn’t it!
So amazing, I can see your dilemma though.
Hope the fence keeps working.
Imagine my surprise to see you at Picklebums! Yippy!
OK, back to your blog post! Such lovely pictures!
Why is it that animals the who devour veggie gardens are so darn cute! Bunnies! Those little monsters! And deer! Don’t get me started!
Well, it’s mother nature at work, is it not!
But which mom will win! LOL!
We’ve had cats, bunnies, possums and raccoons, but we live in a neighborhood so it’s kinda strange… One of the cats is now inside b/c she isn’t feeling well and she’s our favorite.