Rabbit Story- 1: Foraging

It's dawn in the Outdoor Learning Lab beside a school and a mother rabbit woke up from a deep sleep. She sniffed her curled up babies and breathed the warm air inside her nest.

Then, with a stretch and a yawn, the cottontail rabbit started washing herself and getting ready for a food finding adventure. She licked her paws, groomed her whiskers, and washed her face.

The cottontail rabbit hopped out of the nursery, through her resting chamber and hopped on until she reached the mouth of her burrow. She then twitched her nose, ears, and whiskers, sensing for any sign of danger. All was clear. The cottontail rabbit was ready to leave the safety of her warm and comfortable burrow.

The mother rabbit braced herself and leaped into the cold morning air. In the open, she checked her surroundings. Nothing. Even though her nose smelled nothing, her ears heard nothing, and her whiskers sensed no vibrations, the cottontail rabbit sensed danger. Around her, everything was oddly quiet. No birds singing and no squirrels scampering around.

The mother rabbit's stomach growled. She had to find food, so she quickly scampered across the field to some fresh frost covered weeds. As she started nibbling the weeds, a gust of wind ruffled her mottled brown and gray fur. The mother froze as a shadow passed over her. Peeking up, she found it was just some cardinals landing on the bird feeder overhead. The birds chattered as they ate. While the cardinals chattered, they dropped some seeds. The mother cottontail quickly scooped them up and ate them. Next, she raced over to the Japanese Garden where she fed on flowery plants that were tender and sweet. Last, the cottontail rabbit raced over to the sweet, tall grass to eat.