Critters in Peachtree Park

Odd choice of a word, ‘critter’.  What’s a critter?  We chose that term to cover wildlife other than Birds and Pollinators.  In other words, critters are mammals, amphibians & reptiles, and insects & spiders.

Peachtree Park is home to all manner of critters:  raccoons, possums, turtles, foxes, coyotes, snakes, lizards, rats & mice, frogs, rabbits, and even wild turkeys.  These are just some of the ones we have seen or know about.  Critters like it here for many of the same reasons we do;  trees, water, shelter and escape from the noise and concrete that is the city.

Many are Seldom Seen

Many critters are harder to observe than birds and pollinators, an exception of course being the ubiquitous Eastern Gray Squirrel.  This is because many are both predator and prey and are good at hiding and constantly on full alert.

Also, some, like possums, are crepuscular or creatures of the night.

Not Everybody can be Cute and Cuddly

Mention Bluebird, Hummingbird, or Monarch Butterfly and listen for the oooh’s and ahhh’s.   Bring up possums, snakes, spiders or rats and the silence can be deafening.

All the critters in our neighborhood are important and we are lucky to have such diversity here (you didn’t sleep through the circle-of-life lecture in biology class did you?).  Insects, including garden pests, are food for bluebirds and hummingbirds, rats are food for snakes, snakes are food for owls and hawks, and any leftovers will most likely be cleaned up by a possum.

Drive Slowly Please

Even fleet footed squirrels get flattened occasionally by inconsiderate, fast-moving drivers.   Turtles and snakes don’t stand a chance when they are just trying to cross the street to get to water, food, or their home.

Drive Like Your Children and Wildlife Live Here