Interlopers

Thirty years ago, multi-floral rose and fruit laden wild berry bushes could be found in abundance everywhere around here. Native grasses provided shelter to the ground nesters and the warm summer nights were filled with the call of whippoorwills and of nightingale songs. Mature walnut trees shared space with the oaks and hickories- wildlife had their own place and pretty much stayed put. Now, the well-oiled machines of development have bulldozed most of the trees and shredded them into mulch to landscape neatly manicured lawns that now flourish in place of the multi-floral rose, wild berries and native grasses- considered noxious interlopers- they have been exterminated, and collaterally, so too the ground nesters- the whippoorwill’s call and the nightingale’s song are silenced. Remaining wildlife have adapted by foraging back yards- turning over garbage pails, raiding bird feeders, preying on household pets and grazing those prized manicured lawns, ironically, causing the real interlopers much inconvenience, distress and collateral habitat destruction.