Leslie Patten Books: Wild Places, Sacred Spaces

Pika at my door

Well folks, truthfully I’ve only seen Pikas in talus at about 10,000 feet, scampering about, making their characteristic whistle-calls.  So when I saw this little lagomorph at my new back door the other day, I was confused and thought it was some tiny bunny or something.  Some bunny species I wasn’t familiar with.  I ran and got my camera.

So incredibly cute!!!

The first mystery came when I found loads of wild tomato cuttings at my new back door step.  I didn’t know what this plant was at first.  It looked like a green cherry tomato and the leaves had that typical Solanum family look.  But I don’t grow tomatoes up here, nor had I eaten any.  Besides, I don’t compost (because of bears) and all my trash is in bear-proof bins.  Where had these plants come from.  I hunted around and sure enough, in the disturbed area behind my new addition was a weedy plant with these little ‘tomatoes’ on it. (a little research and found they are Solanum triflorum. Wild Tomato).  The Pika is cutting them up and leaving them on my rock doorstep to dry for the winter.

Dehydrating food for winter

This little guy is just the cutest.  I check sometimes several times a day what’s happening with the dehydrating area–my back step!  Lots of days I’ll put out lettuce.  He’ll move things around, or take some of them to his cavern below in the rock.  Other times new pieces of vegetation will appear–sometimes grass seed heads.  But mostly he’s working on the tomato.

Pikas are not yet on the endangered species list, but they are certainly endangered.  Climate change is going to wreck havoc with their niches.  I hope this little guy sticks around all winter and makes it through the winter.  Maybe even finds another pika in the spring and have lots of pikas around.  I’m happy to have a chance to share my home with a species that might not be around that much longer.

Filed under: Rabbits and Pikas | Tagged: Global warming and pikas, Lagomorphs, Ochotona, Pikas |