![]() In one corner is a pond, in another are strawberries and basil, and above it all hang the bird feeders, more than a half-dozen of them. For Schaffel, it's a thick wildscape of native trees and shrubs enclosing a paisley-shaped patch of turf. Augustine lawn as smooth and green as a shamrock shake. Like most new subdivisions, the homes in Circle C are surrounded by tall privacy fences that allow each resident to craft a backyard utopia. While everyone involved seems to have a species to blame, the spat raises serious issues of how native and intruder species can coexist in profoundly unnatural landscapes. Schaffel doesn't only mourn, she acts, and some of her actions have others in the Circle C Ranch and animal communities aflutter. While reptiles, amphibians, and insects all fall to their deadly claws, the victims that Schaffel most mourns are birds. An estimated 150,000 feral cats wild, unowned creatures also lurk in central Texas. They are, in short, her neighbors' cats, which roam the otherwise peaceful cul-de-sacs in search of prey. The killers in question have whiskers, self-important attitudes, and names like Miss Princess. "They lay low, they creep, and they lunge." "They hide in my thickets," said concerned resident Susan Schaffel, sitting in an arbor built of cedar logs and surrounded by thick stands of sage and holly. But don't let the calm, uniform, even antiseptic appearance fool you: Bloodthirsty killers are on the loose. The garage doors are all neatly closed, and not a blade of grass grows taller than six inches. ![]() ![]() Bexley Road looks like any other street in Circle C, a gentle curve lined with tall homes of limestone and brick.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |