July - it's always the same time each year here on Carillon Stonegate Pond!
With recent rains, the banks of Carillon Stonegate Pond are lush with tall, green grasses, reeds and wildflowers.
The food supply deep into the woodlands and the wetlands around here must be ample as we have not seen a young Whitetail Deer appear to feed on our grasses for several months.
Yesterday afternoon, triplets appeared with Mom nearby!
Almost daily, the three (3) fawns and a doe appeared! And - like puppies - two of the fawns frolicked in the shallow water along the shore. Chasing each other back and forth. What a wonderful behavior to have been fortunate to observe!
Young deer – fawns - wear a reddish-brown coat with white spots that helps them blend in with the woodlands. And the fawn in our photos wears this coat well!
It's a good sign to see these young deer. A sign that the ecosystem is working well around Carillon Stonegate Pond. And the wildlife of all types are doing well.
Also, why does the sighting of the first fawns typically occur in July or August?
The breeding season - called the "rut" - usually occurs from October through mid-December. White-tailed deer are called “short-day” breeders — breeding occurs in the fall when day length is declining. The shortening of day length triggers the breeding season. And approximately six (6) months later, the doe gives birth. When the fawn is strong enough to run with the doe - usually in another month, it will follow its mother and begin to graze on vegetation. So, some seven (7) months or so from say December of the prior year, our young fawns begin to appear - July or August!
So - as we say around here - Take a hike and see what you can find – and identify!
Kommentare